vILLUPURAM l saturday l november 30, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l 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 hold on with black Second draw with black for Indian ■ 2-2 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 | P13 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 If neither of the two options are acceptable, Shinde said the When caretaker Chief Minis- 57 MLAs in his Shiv Sena would ter Eknath Shinde met Union not be the part of next governhome minister Amit Shah in ment in Maharashtra. It would Delhi on Thursday he gave him instead extend outside support , three tough options on govern- to BJP-led government in both ment formation in Maharash- the state and the Centre. It tra. One, Shinde himself lead- would also mean withdrawing ing the government; two, his Sena’s minister for state at the Shiv Sena getting plum portfo- Centre, Prataprao Jadhav. lios in a BJP-led government; Shinde’s Sena with seven MPs and three, offering outside sup- is the fourth largest party in port both in Maharashtra and the ruling NDA. at the Centre. The BJP leadership is wary All three options are loaded because outside support carwith trouble despite Shinde’s ries the risk of instability at public posturing that the Centre, where he will not be an obthe BJP has only 240 stacle in government MPs, 32 short of a for mation in the s i m p l e m a j o r i t y. state. Shah advised “The BJP is heavily the Mahayuti leaddependent on the ers to thrash out an TDP (16), JDU (12) acceptable powerand Shinde for stasharing formula in bility and longevity Mumbai on Friday of the government. but Shinde played Shinde was the face of The BJP cannot risk the govt, so people mind games by coolignoring Shinde,” voted to give him a ly leaving for his nahighly placed sourcrepeat mandate. If he tive village Dare in is not made CM, then it es said. Satara district inJu s t i f y i n g h i s will send a wrong stead getting into a claim for chief minmessage huddle in the Maxiistership, Shinde Senior Shiv Sena leader mum City with BJP’s told Shah that the asDevendra Fadnavis sembly election was and NCP’s Ajit Pawar. fought under his leadership. He If he does not get to be the took credit for the consolidaCM, he said he will not person- tion of women voters happened ally join the government. But due to his Ladli Behna scheme, his party should be given adding Maratha votes came afweighty portfolios like home, ter he announced reservation finance and revenue. And the for them. decision on the deputy chief “Shinde also shared with minister representing the Sena Shah a couple of surveys that would be his, a senior Sena said he was the preferred leader said. Finance was with choice of the people as chief Ajit Pawar in the outgoing gov- minister before, during and afernment. And the BJP is reluc- ter polling,” said the source retant to part with home. 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% SLOW LANE Real GDP Growth (%) 10 S u d h ir S u r ya w a ns h i @ Mumbai Waqf board funding order withdrawn Elderly couple, son murdered in farmhouse EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Tiruppur An elderly couple and their son were murdered with blunt and sharp weapons by an unidentified gang at their farmhouse located inside a coconut grove at Semalaigoundanpalayam near Avinashipalayam in Tiruppur late on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Deivasikamani (78), his wife Alamelu (a) Alamathal (75), and their son Senthilkumar (46). While eight sovereigns of gold jewellery have gone missing from the house, police are looking into possible property-related disputes as a motive for the murder. The Tiruppur district police have formed seven special teams to arrest the gang. According to police, farmer Deivasikamani was living with his wife in Semalaigoundanpalayam. The couple’s only son Senthilkumar was residing with his wife Kavitha (30) and their two children at Saravanampatti as he was working with a IT firm in Coimbatore. The family had planned to attend a relative’s function on Friday To take his parents for the . function along with him, Senthilkumar had come to Semalaigaundanpalayam on Thursday night. P7 8 Promise unkept? “Shinde is very unhappy as BJP top leadership had promised that if the allaince wins, he will continue as CM till 2029, but now they are reneging. This is not a good sign,” said a Sena leader MO N I KA YADA V @ New Delhi 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 But BJP leader Raosaheb Danave 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 the BJP as it could affect the stability of the NDA at the Centre. Shinde’s Shiv Sena is the fourth biggest party in NDA 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. SC pauses trial court hearing on Sambhal Bunkum, says BJP A day after issuing a government resolution for the release of `10 crore to strengthen the state Waqf Board, the Maharashtra government on Friday withdrew the order amid opposition by the BJP S U C H I T R A KALYA N MOHA N TY @ New Delhi Onlookers watch as rough waves batter Foreshore Estate beach on Friday ahead of Cyclone Fengal’s expected arrival on Saturday | Ashwin Prasath Fengal landfall today, red alert for 7 dists 2k relief camps About 2,229 relief camps are ready in Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam. As many as 471 people are in camps in Nagapattinam & Tiruvarur | P4 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 . 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. RMC head S Balachandran said the cyclone may cross the coast between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram, close to Pu- Kharge plainspeak at CWC meet on factionalism P ree t h a N a ir @ 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 recent electoral debacle of the party in Haryana and Maharashtra. Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in the Capital on Friday, Kharge questioned the dependence on national leaders for campaigning and urged party workers to focus on local issues. Referring to the factionalism within the Haryana unit, he said the lack of unity and statements against own party leaders harmed the party immensely . 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. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge at CWC meet | Shekhar Yadav “Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?” he asked. “Our strength lies in the strength of the party .” Kharge urged the party to learn from its mistakes and strengthen the organisation. While chief strategist Rahul 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 in detail 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. Kharge also asserted that the party cannot achieve success by following 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. ducherry with a wind speed of , 70-80 kmph gusting up to 90 kmph. As per the last update from Met officials, the storm is moving northwestwards with a speed of 15 kmph and is located 240 km east-northeast of Nagappattinam, 230 km eastsoutheast of Puducherry, and 250 km southeast of Chennai. Balachandran called the storm unusual due to shifting atmospheric dynamics from November 26 to 29. ISRO’s EOS06 and INSAT-3DR satellites are monitoring the ocean and aiding meteorologists.  P7 express read Oxford museum to return stolen TN idol Chennai: The Ashmolean Museum at Oxford University, London, which purchased the Thirumangai Alwar bronze idol in 1967, has agreed to return it to Tamil Nadu after the state’s Idol Wing CID submitted evidence of the idol’s trafficking from an ancient temple in Thanjavur district| P2 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 ex-parte order for a survey of the mosque by an advocate commissioner, after taking note of a plea of the Hindu side that claimed the mosque was built over a temple. On November 24, violence gripped the area and four persons were killed. “We feel that the Committee of Management, Shahi Jama Masjid, Sambhal, must challenge the order of November 19, 2024 before an appropriate court/forum as per law, including the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure,” it said. The bench clarified that it did not express any opinion on the merits of the case and fixed the matter for further hearing to the week commencing January 6, 2025. SC stays restoration of DA case against OPS, kin 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 | P4 Police keep vigil near premises of Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal on Friday | pti TN won’t allow tungsten mining, centre must retract nod, CM tells 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 opposi- tion 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 Limited 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 Narasingampatti. Among these, Arittapatti is a notified biodiversity heritage site, renowned for its archaeological monuments, including cave temples, sculptures, Jain symbols, Tamil Brahmi inscriptions, and Pancha Pandavar stone beds. Any mining activity would cause irreparable damage to these sites,” Stalin said in his letter. The CM also highlighted the adverse impact of commercial This issue has caused immense distress among the residents who fear losing their livelihoods permanently. PM must intervene to revoke this decision —M K Stalin, Chief Minister mining on the densely populated villages in the area. “This has caused immense distress among the residents who fear losing their livelihoods permanently he said. ,” Stalin also said the current unrest in Madurai district was a direct result of the union government awarding tungsten mining rights and requested the PM’s intervention to revoke the decision.  P7