HYDERABAD  TUESDAY  JULY 02, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 16  LATE CITY EDITION YOGA EDGING CLOSER TO BECOMING PART OF ASIAD Yoga may feature in the marquee sporting event according to Indian authorities who are in touch with Olympic Council of Asia... OCA GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S VOTE PENDING Indian Olympic Association president, P T Usha, on Monday said the OCA’s Executive Board has agreed to include yoga and a confirmation from the OCA’s General Assembly would pave the way for its inclusion to the event’s programme. Usha said OCA acting president, Randhir Singh, informed her about EB’s decision INDIA’S BID BACKED BY PROMINENT FIGURES ■ ■ Usha, in a release, thanked sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who had earlier welcomed her initiative to get yoga included. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been a big advocate of yoga The ministry has already granted recognition to Yogasana Bharat for promotion and development of Yogasana as a competitive sport 2026 THE YEAR THE NEXT ASIAD WILL BE CONDUCTED 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 Revanth calls on Guv, discusses expansion of Cabinet, pending bills EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad CHIEF Minister A Revanth Reddy met Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Monday. The meeting lasted about an hour. The meeting comes amidst speculation that the CM is soon going to reshuffle and expand his Cabinet. Sources said that Revanth did discuss Cabinet expansion with the Governor. They are also said to have spoken about pending bills and other issues. There are currently six vacancies in the Cabinet. During his recent visit to Delhi, the chief minister is believed to have sought the party high command’s approval to expand the Cabinet. Currently, erstwhile Adilabad, Nizamabad, Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts are not represented in the Cabinet, and there is also no leader from the Mudiraj and Muslim communities. Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy P Sudarshan Reddy G Vivek , , and V Srihari are said to be among the frontrunners for a Cabinet berth. It is said that two BRS MLAs who recently joined the grand old party — Danam Nagender and Kadi- 5-month jail for Patkar in 23-yr-old case S U C H I T R A M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi A Delhi court on Monday sentenced social activist Medha Patkar to five months in jail in a 23-year-old defamation case brought against her by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. The Metropolitan Magistrate Court also asked Patkar to pay `10 lakh as compensation to Saxena. In 2000, Saxena, who was then the president of Ahmedabad-based NGO, National Council for Civil Liberties, published an advertisement against the Nar mada Bachao Andolan (NBA) led by Patkar. The NBA was opposing the construction of dams on the Narmada. Responding to the ad, Patkar issued a press note saying Saxena was “mortgaging” the people of Gujarat and their resources before Bill Gates and the then World Bank president James Wolfensohn. Her press note also called Saxena a Gujarat government agent. Saxena filed a defamation suit against her in 2001. “It is evident that the accused [Patkar] harboured a clear intention to defame the complainant through her press note,” the Delhi court said. Attacks BJP saying its leaders aren’t Hindus; criticises Agniveer scheme, NEET examination MODI MAKES TWO dy speaker INTERVENTIONS; BJP SEEKS APOLOGY P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi GOVERNOR SPOKE TO CM ABOUT RECENT MEETING WITH NAIDU, SAY SOURCES It may be recalled that Governor CP Radhakrishnan recently met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and discussed pending bifurcation issues. In this context, sources indicated that the Governor spoke to the CM on Monday about bifurcation-related matters and also mentioned the details of his recent discussion with Naidu. ANDHRA CM PROPOSES JULY 6 MEETING WITH REVANTH IN HYDERABAD Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday wrote a letter to his Telangana counterpart Revanth and proposed a meeting on July 6 to discuss pending bifurcationrelated issues and other matters. He said he was looking forward to working closely with Revanth to resolve post-bifurcation issues and facilitate progress in both states | P5 yam Srihari — too are in the race. Earlier, on Friday, Revanth had said that only those who were elected on a Congress ticket would be accommodated in his Cabinet. Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy with Governor CP Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan on Monday. During the meeting, the CM is said to have discussed Cabinet expansion and other issues with the Governor DEFAMATION Rahul’s fiery debut speech Govt may not fill post of PANEL FORMED R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi (left) gestures during his debut speech; and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in one of his two interventions during the address, in the Lok Sabha on Monday | PTI P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi THE Lok Sabha witnessed a massive showdown on Monday after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on the BJP in his debut speech, saying the leaders of the ruling party are not Hindus as they engage in “violence and hate” round the clock. The remark prompted sharp responses from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, accusing Rahul of portraying the entire Hindu community as violent. In his speech that lasted nearly two hours, the Congress leader hit out at the government over a range of issues – from NEET to Agniveer to farm distress, unemployment and inflation among others. Alleging that the BJP was instilling fear in all sections of society, Rahul invoked Lord Shiva and the teachings of Guru Nanak, Jesus Christ, Buddha and Mahavir to drive home the point that all religions preach, ‘don’t to be scared, and do not scare others’. “Lord Shiva says ‘don’t be scared,’ shows the abhaya mudra, talks about ahimsa, but those who call themselves Hindus indulge in hatred, violence and untruths round the clock,” He alleged, pointing towards the BJP MPs. As the Treasury benches erupted in protest, Shah demanded an apology for hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community An unfazed Rahul, . however, hit back saying he was speaking about the BJP and neither the ruling party nor the RSS represent the entire Hindu society “You are not . Hindus. It is clearly written in Hinduism that one should stand with the truth and not back down from the truth or be scared of it,” he said. Taking potshots at the BJP over its defeat in Ayodhya after the Ram temple’s inauguration, Rahul said the voters have conveyed a clear message to the government for its failures. Holding the government responsible for the unrest in Manipur, he said the prime minister and home minister have totally neglected the state. He also accused the BJP of threatening the minorities and spreading hatred and violence against them. Referring to the NEET-UG row, Rahul said students do not believe in the exam because they feel it is for the rich and that there is no place in it for meritorious students. MULTIPLE BREAKS Rahul had to stop his speech several times as ministers Amit Shah, Rijiju, Bhupender Yadav and others made interventions. As he held up a picture of Lord Shiva, Speaker Birla said rules do not allow placards in the House When Hemant Soren or Arvind Kejriwal goes to jail, I should be concerned. When you unleash enforcement agencies on them, we should defend them. When you are a constitutional person, your personal aspirations should take a back seat Rahul Gandhi on his new role BJP leaders on Monday launched a barrage of criticism both inside and outside Parliament against Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi for alleging they were not Hindus as they promote division and violence. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first intervention in the debate said Rahul calling the entire Hindu society violent was a serious matter, Union home minister Amit Shah and other ministers demanded an apology from the Congress leader. In his second intervention during Rahul’s speech, Modi said the Constitution has taught him to take the LoP seriously . Referring to the Agniveer scheme, Rahul described how the family of a martyr is deprived of compensation from the Army. Defence minister MSP issue Rajnath Singh rebutted When Rahul him by pointing out that alleged that the an Agniveer who lays govt did not want down his life in the line of to give a legal duty gets a compensation guarantee on MSP, of `1 crore. “This House agriculture is not for spreading lies. minister Shivraj Rahul Gandhi should Chouhan accused apologise to the House, to him of misleading the country and to Agthe House niveers,” Shah said. Later, Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Ashwini Vaishnaw did a media briefing and accused Rahul of denigrating the LoP post with his “utterly irresponsible” speech. Vaishnaw joined issue with Rahul who alleged that adequate compensation was not paid to the relocated shopkeepers in Ayodhya. “The state government and the administration provided `1,253 crore in compensation to 4,215 affected shopkeepers,” he claimed. Vaishnaw accused Rahul of insulting the Hindu. “This is an old habit of the Congress. In 2010, P Chidambaram called Hindus terrorists, and in 2013, Sushil Shinde repeated it,” he alleged. Rijiju stated that the BJP has contested many of Rahul’s claims and has requested action from the Speaker. “He will have to substantiate or apologise.” Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also alleged that the appeasement politics of the Congress and Rahul “starts and ends with Hindu hate”. HC dismisses KCR’s plea against PPA probe panel EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad THE Telangana High Court on Monday dismissed the petition f i l e d by B R S p r e s i d e n t and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao challenging the Justice L Narasimha Reddy Judicial Commission, which is probing the alleged irregularities in the power purchase agreement with Chhattisgarh as well as in the construction of the Bhadradri and Yadadri thermal power stations. The bench headed by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe ruled that “we do not find any merit in the writ petition and the same fails. In the result, the writ petition is dismissed in limine. There shall be no order as to costs. Miscellaneous petitions, pending if any shall stand closed”. , Chandrasekhar Rao’s contention that the Commission was “biased” and “predetermined” was overruled by the DELHI HIGH COURT DENIES KAVITHA BAIL IN LIQUOR SCAM, CALLS HER ‘MAIN CONSPIRATOR’ The Delhi HC on Monday dismissed BRS leader K Kavitha’s bail pleas in two cases linked to the alleged liquor scam, saying she was prima facie one of the main conspirators in the criminal conspiracy related to the formation and implementation of Delhi Excise Policy | P4 bench. Rao’s argument that the issues relating to the Chhattisgarh PPA were adjudicated by the respective Electricity Regulatory Commissions too was not taken into consideration. “It is evident that the Terms of Reference are far wider than the issues adjudicated by the State Regulatory Commissions with regard to fixation of tariff and do not include the is- ROAD TO PARIS Trekking in Swiss—Hockey team’s Oly prep S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Bengaluru IN a week’s time, the Indian men’s hockey team will throw away their sports gear for some jackets, headlamps and hiking boots. As part of a team bonding exercise before the high-pressure environment of the Olympics, the contingent — the playing members and the support staff — will meet up with the side’s mental conditioning coach, Paddy Upton, in Switzerland for a three-day camp. “There will be no hockey there,” Craig Fulton, coach of the national team, said during an interaction with this daily. “Everything that we need to focus on to be the best team we can be. Most have a good time doing it because it’s been tough, training really hard. Sometimes, we also need to see the wood for the trees (laughs). The mountains The men’s team is scheduled to reach Paris on July 20 | HOCKEY INDIA could be what we need.” While there, the plan right now is to do some trekking before 2021 bronze medallists switch base to Netherlands for three friendlies before they leave for Paris on July 20. The three-day session could also see the side have a spell with Mike Horn, a motivational coach who has worked with the Indian cricket, the Germany men’s football team as well as Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Doing these sort of team exercises is nothing new for Fulton’s wards. Last year, they climbed Table Mountain. Before the Asian Games, the players were split into small teams and were asked to shoot short movies (movies were shot on a mobile camera before they were screened). P R Sreejesh, who will be featuring in his fourth Olympics, spoke about why these exercises are vital. “Climbing the Table Mountain was a good experience,” he said. “Different people had different goals; somebody wanted to finish first, a few just wanted to finish, others wanted to come last so they could motivate everybody else to finish. It was about showing mentality .” On the upcoming trip to Switzerland, Sreejesh said: “We are going to meet Mike Horn (Horn had taken the South African men’s cricket team on an expedition to the Swiss Alps in 2012), I have read about his work in Paddy Upton’s autobiography. That was so inspiring and I’m sure his lessons will help us at the Olympics. When you feel like you are breaking down or the team is breaking down, his experiences will help us make good decisions under those circumstances. “It will be something new for us but that’s what we require, we need to distract ourselves. Three days doing this before coming back to hockey will refresh us.” sues adjudicated by the aforesaid Commissions. Therefore, the contention that the Commission does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the issues which have been decided by the Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission, which are quasi judicial bodies, does not deserve acceptance,” the High Court order said. CONTINUED ON P5 AS uncertainty over the appointment of the deputy speaker post of the Lok Sabha continues, sources said the government is unlikely to move in this direction soon. The NDA is keeping the cards close to its chest over whether it will keep the post or allot it to an INDIA bloc candidate. However, Speaker Om Birla’s move on Monday to appoint a panel of chairpersons to help him run the House proceedings shows the government does not want to appoint a deputy speaker, sources said. Addressing the House on Monday, Birla said he has named Jagdambika Pal (BJP), P C Mohan (BJP), Sandhya Ray (BJP), Dilip Saikia (BJP), Kumari Selja (Congress), A Raja (DMK), Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar (TMC), Krishna Prasad Tenneti (TDP), and Awadhesh Prasad (SP) as members of the panel of chairpersons. This comes amid speculation that the INDIA bloc has reached a consensus over fielding Prasad, the Faizabad MP for the depu, ty speaker post. Sources said if INDIA bloc puts up Prasad as its candidate, the BJP will find it difficult to oppose. According to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, these chairpersons preside over House proceedings when the Speaker is not in the Chair. They enjoy all powers vested in the Speaker. By fielding Prasad, the Opposition is trying to send a message to the Dalit voters in Uttar Pradesh. “The government may not wish to send a wrong message by opposing Prasad’s candidature,” said an NDA leader. EXPRESS READ Can’t pay power bills via UPI anymore; TGSPDCL says will resolve it soon Hyderabad: The TGSPDCL on Monday asked customers to pay electricity bills through its website and app. UPI apps such as PhonePe and Paytm have stopped accepting its power bills as the TGSPDCL is not part of the Bharat Bill Payment System. TGSPDCL sources told TNIE that the issue will be resolved in a few days and noted the apps are important for the utility too | P2 Woman dies after botched abortion following sex test; husband, doc among 6 held EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Suryapet SIX people have been arrested over the death of a pregnant woman here following an illegal sex-determination test and a botched abortion. The woman’s husband, who allegedly forced her to undergo the abortion, and a doctor were among those arrested. Superintendent of Police (SP) Sunpreet Singh on Monday said the victim, Suhasini, married Ratnawat Harisingh in 2019. The couple have two daughters. After she became pregnant recently, Ratnawat told Suhasini that he would leave her and marry someone else if she were to give birth to a girl again, the SP added at a press conference. The victim underwent a sexdetermination test at Guruvai- ah Hospital in Kodad, where doctors confirmed that she was having a daughter. It must be noted that prenatal sex-determination is illegal in India under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, 1994. Subsequently, Ratnawat took her to the New Kamala Hospital in Huzurnagar for an abortion, the SP said. Sunpreet added that another accused, Dr Sheikh Qasim, administered some tablets to induce abortion. However, Suhasini experienced heavy blood loss and died here while being taken to Hyderabad for treatment. Chivvemla police have registered a case against Ratnawat, Dr Qasim and four others under the PC-PNDT Act, the SP said, adding that all the accused have been arrested.