chennai l saturday l november 30, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l late city EDITION World Chess: Gukesh, Ding play out drab draw in fourth game Chinese world champ somewhat surpises the Indian teen with an unconventional opening with white but he reacts well to hold on with black Second draw with black for Indian All games have been combative: Anand This is now the second draw with black pieces in as many games for D Gukesh, aiming to become the youngest world champion. However, it wasn’t so similar to the second game as both players tried to ask a few questions before drawing by threefold repetition after 40th move. On Saturday, Gukesh will have white pieces. Both are tied on two points ■ ■ V Anand, five-time world champ, told this daily that all games have been combative and ‘interesting’. He made the ceremonial first move The only time the fourth game got rather hot was in the middle game when both players spent considerable time working their lines to ensure they didn’t cede any advantage | P15 2-2 Match score after four games. Fifth game is on Saturday CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Outside support among options if he isn’t CM, Shinde tells Amit Shah tant to part with home. If neither of the two options When caretaker Chief Minis- are acceptable, Shinde said the ter Eknath Shinde met Union 57 MLAs in his Shiv Sena would home minister Amit Shah in not be the part of next governDelhi on Thursday he gave him ment in Maharashtra. It would , three tough options on govern- instead extend outside support ment formation in Maharash- to BJP-led government in both tra. One, Shinde himself lead- the state and the Centre. It ing the government; two, his would also mean withdrawing Shiv Sena getting plum portfo- Sena’s minister for state at the lios in a BJP-led government; Centre, Prataprao Jadhav. and three, offering outside sup- Shinde’s Sena with seven MPs port both in Maharashtra and is the fourth largest party in at the Centre. the ruling NDA. All three options are loaded The BJP leadership is wary with trouble despite Shinde’s because outside support carpublic posturing that ries the risk of instahe will not be an obbility at the Centre, stacle in government where the BJP has for mation in the only 240 MPs, 32 short state. Shah advised of a simple majority . the Mahayuti leaders “The BJP is heavily to thrash out an acdependent on the ceptable power-sharTDP (16), JDU (12) ing formula in Mumand Shinde for stabilbai on Friday but ity and longevity of Shinde played mind Shinde was the face the government. BJP games by coolly leav- of the govt, so people cannot risk ignoring voted to give him a ing for his native vilShinde,” highly repeat mandate. If he lage Dare in Satara is not made CM, then placed sources said. district instead getJustifying his it will send a wrong ting into a huddle in claim for chief minmessage the Maximum City istership, Shinde told with BJP’s Devendra Senior Shiv Sena leader Shah that the elecFadnavis and NCP’s tion was fought unAjit Pawar. der his leadership. He took If he does not get to be the credit for the consolidation of CM, he said he will not person- women voters thanks to his ally join the government. But Ladki Bahin scheme, adding his party should be given Maratha votes came after he weighty portfolios like home, announced reservation. finance and revenue. And the “Shinde also shared with decision on the deputy chief Shah a couple of surveys that minister representing the Sena said he was the preferred would be his, a senior Sena choice of the people as chief leader said. Finance was with minister before, during and afAjit Pawar in the outgoing gov- ter polling,” said the source reernment. And the BJP is reluc- questing anonymity . GDP growth sinks to 2-year low Economy grows just 5.4% in July-Sept quarter, raising doubts about meeting full-year target of 6.5% Real GDP Growth (%) 10 S u d h ir S u r ya w a ns h i @ Mumbai 8 Promise unkept? “Shinde is very unhappy as BJP top leadership had promised that if the alliance wins, he will continue as CM till 2029, but now they are reneging. This is not a good sign,” said a Sena leader Bunkum, says BJP But BJP leader Raosaheb Danve said no promise on post-poll chief ministership was made to Shinde by his party’s leaders stability matters A sulking Shinde would be bad news for BJP as it could affect NDA’s stability at the Centre. Shinde’s Shiv Sena is the fourth biggest party in NDA MO N I KA YADA V @ New Delhi SLOW LANE 8.2 8.1 6.2 8.6 7.8 6.7 6 5.4 4.3 4 Q3FY23 Q4FY23 Q1FY24 Q2FY24 Q3FY24 Q4FY24 Q1FY25 Q2FY25 Nothing to worry, says CEA Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said the overall GDP growth projection for FY25 at 6.5% is “not in danger”. He said agriculture and construction are among the ‘bright spots’, adding record production estimates for kharif foodgrains and rabi crop augur well for farm income and rural demand INDIA’s economic growth fell to a seven-quarter low of 5.4% in the second quarter of 202425, dragged by the poor performance of the manufacturing and mining sectors. The sharp fall in the GDP growth, compared with 6.7% in the first quarter, was also driven by the slow pace in government spending and weak private consumption, according to data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). The growth was much below estimates. RBI had predicted the GDP to grow at 7% in Q2. Now, a full-year GDP growth of even 6.5% looks difficult. Manufacturing grew just 2.2% in Q2—a significant fall school holiday Holiday declared for schools and colleges in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Villupuram & Ranipet. Edu institutions told not to conduct special classes | P6 Elderly couple, son killed in farmhouse S V K R I S H N A C HA I TA N YA @ Chennai After playing hide-and-seek for three days, cyclonic storm ‘Fengal’ formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal and is heading towards the north coast of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, where it is expected to make landfall on Saturday afternoon, the regional meteorological centre (RMC) said on Friday . Red alert (rainfall in excess of 20cm) has been issued for seven districts — Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Villuppuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, and Puducherry for Saturday The . Onlookers watch as rough waves batter Foreshore Estate beach on Friday ahead of Cyclone Fengal’s expected arrival on Saturday | Ashwin Prasath Met department has issued an orange alert for Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam districts and Karaikal area in Puducherry Of. ficials said the rainfall activity would continue on Sunday in the interior districts as the cyclonic stor m would travel inland. Mosque survey SC pauses trial court hearing on Sambhal P ree t h a N a ir @ New Delhi S U C H I T R A KALYA N MOHA N TY @ New Delhi Unsparing in his criticism of his party colleagues, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday asserted that ‘tough decisions’ will have to be taken and ‘accountability fixed’ for the party’s electoral debacle in Haryana and Maharashtra. Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Kharge questioned the dependence on national leaders for campaigning and urged party workers to focus on local issues. Referring to the factionalism in Haryana, he said lack of unity harmed the party . “Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?” he asked. Kharge urged the party to learn from its mistakes and strengthen the organisation. While chief strategist Rahul The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Sambhal trial court in Uttar Pradesh not to take any further action pursuant to its order for a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. It asked the trial court to pause proceedings in the case till the mosque committee’s plea challenging the survey is listed in the Allahabad High Court. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar also ordered that the report of the commissioner who conducted the survey be kept in a sealed cover. “Peace and harmony must be maintained at any cost,” it said. On November 19, a court of civil judge of Sambhal passed an order for a survey of the mosque by an advocate commissioner, after taking note of a plea that claimed the mosque was built over a temple. On November 24, four persons were killed in clashes. “We feel the Committee of Management, Shahi Jama Masjid, must challenge the order of November 19 before an appropriate court,” it said. The bench clarified that it did not express any opinion on the merits of the case and posted the matter to the week commencing January 6, 2025. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge at CWC meet | Shekhar Yadav Kharge said the party can’t achieve success with old methods. “You have to see what your political opponent is doing on a daily basis. We have to take decisions on time. Accountability has to be fixed,” he said. The CWC adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised, against which the party would soon launch a movement. Won’t allow tungsten mining, centre must retract nod: CM to PM E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday opposed the awarding of tungsten mining rights in Madurai district by the union government to a private firm, saying that the Tamil Nadu government will never permit any mining activity in Arittapatti and its surrounding areas considering the site’s biodiversity heritage status and opposition from the local residents. A notified biodiversity heritage site falls under one of the areas proposed for mining, and commercial mining in densely populated villages will affect the people who fear that their livelihood may be lost forever, Stalin said in his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The CM urged the PM to revoke the award of tungsten mining rights and direct the Ministry of Mines to desist from inviting bids for mining without the consent of the state government. “The Union Ministry of Mines has declared Hindustan Zinc Lim- ited as the preferred bidder for the Nayakkarpatti Tungsten block (classified as a Critical and Strategic Mineral) under Tranche IV on November 7. The block includes villages such as Kavattayampatti, Ettimangalam, A Vellalapatti, Arittapatti, Kidaripatty and Naras, ingampatti. Among these, Arittapatti is a notified biodiversity heritage site, renowned for its archaeological monuments, including cave temples, sculptures, Jain symbols, Tamil Brahmi inscrip- tions, and Pancha Pandavar stone beds. Any mining activity would cause irreparable damage to these sites,” Stalin said in his letter. The CM emphasised the severe impact of mining on the populated villages. He stated it caused immense distress to residents who fear the permanent loss of their livelihood. He directly attributed the ongoing unrest in Madurai to the centre’s decision to award tungsten mining rights and urgently requested the PM to intervene and reconsider the move.  P7 Gross fixed capital formation, which is expenditure on asset creation, grew at 5.4%, down from 7.5% in the first quarter. According to Chief Economic Advisor Dr V Anantha Nageswaran, there is no cause for alarm though the numbers are disappointing. While briefing the media, he said the global economic landscape is challenging, which is affecting India’s manufacturing sector. Key issues include a slowdown in production and the negative impact of dumping in industries like steel. Although steel consumption has increased, production levels have failed to match this growth, he added. Manufacturing has brought down the overall growth, said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist, Bank of Baroda. express read Fengal landfall today; red alert for city, 6 dists Kharge plainspeak at CWC meet on factionalism, hints at ‘tough decisions’ Gandhi has come under criticism from several quarters for his immoderate focus on caste census, Kharge pointed out the importance of evolving state specific strategies. “It is important to understand the different issues of the states and prepare a solid campaign strategy around them. For how long will you fight state elections on the basis of national issues and national leaders?” he asked. from 7% in April-June and the 14.3% growth seen in the yearago period. The mining and quarrying sector shrank 0.1% in Q2 of FY25 due to prolonged rainfall, which is in stark contrast to the 7.2% growth in the previous quarter and the 11.1% growth a year ago. Adding to the challenges, the growth rate for electricity gas, water supply , , and other utility services also plummeted, indicating a fall in consumption growth. It dropped from 10.4% last year to merely 3.3% this year. Construction also declined from 13.6% to 7.7%. Private consumption grew at 6% in Q2, down than 7.4% in the first quarter. The consumption slowdown was despite a lower base of 2.6% a year ago. This issue has caused immense distress among the residents who fear losing their livelihood. PM must intervene to revoke the order — M K Stalin, Chief Minister At 8.30 pm on Friday the cy, clone was 340 km north of Trincomalee, 220 km east-northeast of Nagapattinam, and 210 km east of Puducherry . It is predicted to move westnorthwestwards, crossing the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts near Puducherry with wind speeds of 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph on November 30 afternoon. P7 Tiruppur: An elderly couple and their son were found murdered in their farmhouse in Tiruppur on Friday morning. Police suspect a gang attack, with robbery and property disputes as possible motives. Seven special teams have been formed to track down the killers | P7 SC stays restoration of DA case against OPS Chennai: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed an order from the Madras High Court restoring a disproportionate assets case against expelled AIADMK leader and former chief minister O Panneerselvam and seven of his family members | P7