Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV chennai l thursday l april 03, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION KSDL goES global, to launch ultra-luxury soap for `3,000 The soap, to be sold for `3,000, is crafted from premium natural sandalwood oil and will be sold exclusively at airports and for export on demand 288 232 24th Maharaja of Mysore who commissioned KSDL Sustainable Packaging with Butter Paper Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which manufactures the iconic Mysore Sandal Soap, is going to brand the soap under its exquisite collection, ‘Kala Loka - Treasure of Karnataka’ and has designed an exclusive package. KSDL will replace its plastic packaging material with ‘butter paper’and use only electric vehicles on its premises ■ 331 More Products to Lure Global Buyers ■ Dr Prashanth PKM, KSDL’s managing director, said the luxury soap is part of the company’s international expansion strategy. A new manufacturing plant will be set up in Vijayapura KSDL revamps Mysore Sandal Soap packaging, signs Tamannaah Bhatia as ambassador, and plans to produce perfumes and cosmetics dealers have been onboarded to establish outlets nationwide 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 AyES Noes n  on-Muslims in Waqf council and boards only for administration work, won’t run religious affairs 2  013 amendment during UPA rule to give 123 properties in Delhi to Waqf in 25 days necessitated change: Shah Waqf Bill sails in Lok Sabha Application of Limitation Act The bill seeks to repeal Section 107 of the 1995 Act, which had rendered the Limitation Act, 1963, inapplicable to waqf properties. The Limitation Act imposes a ban on legal proceedings after a prescribed period. Section 107 has exempted waqf boards from the 12-year limitation period for reclaiming encroached properties Appointment of non-Muslims Amendment to Waqf Act proposes the inclusion of non-Muslims to the Central Waqf Council, State Waqf Boards, and waqf tribunal. It allows the govt to nominate three MPs — two from LS and one from RS — to the Central Waqf Council without mandating that they be Muslims. It also allows the appointment of a nonMuslim CEO and mandates that state govts appoint at least two non-Muslim members to Waqf Boards The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the contentious Waqf Bill (Amendment) 2024 with a slender majority of 288 against 232 votes. While the NDA led by BJP secured 288 votes, the Opposition got 232 while one member abstained from voting. The voting was necessitated after the Opposition members sought division of votes in the passage of the bill. In all, 520 members were present in the House during the voting. The debate that began at 12 noon on Wednesday concluded at 12.15 am. It was followed by voting. Though the NDA has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha, it secured only 288 during voting. The BJP was bolstered by a show of support from its key allies like the TDP, JD(U), Shiv Sena and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), while the INDIA bloc put up a united show in opposing the bill. The debate on the bill reflected the sharp divide between the government and the Opposition. While the BJP has 240 MPs, JD(U) has 12 and TDP 16. Both NDA and Opposition parties had issued whips to their members to be present in Parliament for next three days. Concluding the debate, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed the Opposi- Minorities in India are safe because the majority in India is fully secular Consider providing flexibility to states to decide composition of Waqf boards - Kiren Rijiju, BJP - KP Tenneti, TDP 19-yr-old who mugged lorry drivers shot dead by police B a g a l a v a n Pe r i e r B @ Cuddalore A 19-year-old history-sheeter from Puducherry, who was part of an alleged gang that attacked three people with machetes and mugged them earlier in the day, was shot dead by police near Cuddalore on Wednesday Vijay, . alias Muttai Vijay was shot dead in self-defence after he attacked the police team when they tried to apprehend him, police said. This is the third such encounter in TN in recent days. According to police, on We d n e s d ay morning, Kalimuthu (45), a farmer from M Pudhur, was on his way to his farmland when a gang of six men on three Vijay (19) bikes intercepted him on the Villupuram-Nagapattinam NH. The gang attacked him with a machete, robbed him of his mobile phone and `100, and fled. Passers-by rushed Kalimuthu to Cuddalore Government Hospital, where he received treatment. Based on his complaint, a case was registered at Thirupathiripuliyur police station. In a separate incident at Periyapattu, lorry driver A Prabu (43) of Sirkazhi was assaulted while resting in his parked lorry The gang mugged him of . `3,000 and his mobile.  P7 tion’s allegations that the bill is unconstitutional and minorities are not safe in the country . While tabling the bill for passage, Rijiju said the government had no intention of interfering in the religious matters of Muslims and was solely driven by the aim of transparent administration of Waqf properties. The bill seeks to improve the administration of Waqf properties, introduce technology-driven management, address complexities and ensure transparency he said. , Earlier, Union home minister Amit Shah lashed out at the Op- position and asserted that vote bank is being created by intimidating minorities and confusion is being spread in the country in the name of the Waqf bill. The non-Muslims in Waqf Council and boards are meant purely for ensuring administration of properties in accordance with the stated aims, he said. “The government does not want to interfere in the religious activities of Muslim brothers and the trusts associated with their donations, i.e. Waqf. Mutawali, Waqif, Waqf will all be Muslims, but it will definitely have to be seen whether the property of Waqf is being maintained properly or not,” he said. Taking aim at the Congress, Shah said if there had not been an amendment in the Waqf Act in 2013, there would have been no need to bring this legislation. Earlier, initiating the debate, Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the bill was an attempt to attack the basic structure of the Constitution, defame minorities, disenfranchise them and divide the society He also raised concerns . over a controversial provision in the bill that states only a Muslim who has been practicing the faith for at least five years can make donations. The House also saw a major showdown between the Opposition and treasury benches after AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tore a copy of the bill in protest. He accused the government of targeting the country’s largest minority, calling the proposed amendments an attack on their right. “This bill is an attack on Muslims. The Modi government has started a war on my freedom. My mosques, my dargahs, my madrasas are on target. This government is not revealing the truth. This bill violates Article 14 — equal protection. Limitations will be imposed. By doing so, the encroacher will become the owner,” he said. BJP wants the Muslims to feel that their rights are being attacked It is against minority rights, religious freedom and is unconstitutional It’s an attempt to attack the basic structure of the Constitution - A Raja, DMK - Gaurav Gogoi, Cong P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Union home minister Amit Shah makes an intervention in the debate on the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday | PTI - Akhilesh Yadav, SP Alliance with AIADMK a priority; Annamalai need not quit post tance for the Assembly polls. However, the leadership AS talks over an imminent does not want the alliance to change in leadership of the materialise at the cost of Tamil Nadu BJP gather mo- Annamalai’s position. mentum, TNIE has learnt On the contrary Annama, that the party’s nalai has reiterated to tional leadership the top brass his firm still prefers to conconviction that the tinue with K Analliance is not in the namalai at the helm national party’s best if he is willing to interests in Tamil work in an alliance Nadu, presenting a with the AIADMK micro-level, datafor the 2026 Assembacked analysis to K Annamalai bly elections. support his stance. “The ball is in AnHe has also indinamalai’s court,” a senior cated that he would rather leader said, adding that dur- not continue as state presiing his recent visit to Delhi, dent if the alliance is ineviit was made clear to him table—a stance he first dethat the AIADMK-BJP alli- clared at an internal party ance is of utmost impor- meeting in March 2023.  P7 P o n V a s a n t h BA @ Chennai S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi T h e S u p re m e C o u r t o n Wednesday slammed Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for stating that no byelections would be held if BRS MLAs switch to the Congress. A two-judge bench led by justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih criticised Reddy for “making mockery of the 10th Schedule” — which deals with provisions on disqualification due to defection — with his statement on the floor of the state assembly . The court’s reaction came during a hearing on a plea filed by BRS leaders K T Rama Rao and Padi Kaushik Reddy seek, ing timely action by the Speak- A Revanth Reddy er on disqualification proceedings against 10 MLAs who defected to the Congress. Reddy had made the statement on March 27, sparking controversy. The court observed that statements made by politicians in the Assembly have sanctity and can be used to interpret laws. It noted that something said in a public gathering, like the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, In probably the rarest of rare ushering in of an ambassador by a host country, Israel’s foreign ministry hosted the world premiere of the movie The Diplomat on Tuesday to welcome India’s new envoy J P Singh. , The movie, starring John Abraham, is based on a real-life crisis involving Singh. Before the screening, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution moved by Chief Minister M K Stalin, urging the Union government to initiate all possible steps to retrieve Katchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka by reviewing the pact signed between India and the island nation in 1974. This is the fourth time the Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed such a resolution, with earlier ones moved by former CMs J Jayalalithaa (1991, 2013) and O Panneerselvam (2014). “Retrieval of Katchatheevu can be the only permanent solution to safeguard the traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen and avert all the troubles faced by them from the Sri Lankan Navy,” the resolution stated. The resolution comes just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka on April 4 (Friday) and to Ram- ED fileS petition in SPL Court on MUDA Urges rejection of Lokayukta police’s closure report on K’taka CM Siddaramaiah and family in MUDA scam, citing seven objections. ED’s PMLA probe found illegalities in site allotments and undue influence by CM’s associate Singh, a 2002 batch IFS officer, was posted in Pakistan when an Indian woman named Uzma Ahmad sought refuge at the Indian High Commission, saying she was abducted and forced to marry a Pakistani man. The film portrays how Singh faces a complex web of diplomacy, Pa k i s t a n i would be different from statements made on the floor of the legislative assembly which car, ry more weight. The court reminded Reddy of his previous statement on granting bail to BRS leader K Kavitha and Manish Sisodia was out of line. Appearing for the Speaker, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said the assembly proceedings were not in question in the matter pending before the SC. The bench told Rohatgi to convey to the CM that there should be no “repeat action” and that the court is “not powerless” in issuing contempt notices. When Rohatgi said he was not appearing for the CM, the bench said he had appeared for him once in that case. express read Israel screens The Diplomat to welcome Indian envoy met Singh and wished him success in his new stint. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in his message, highlighted how the film serves as a reminder that diplomacy requires thinking beyond standard procedures, with each day presenting new challenges. S K U M AR E S AN @ Chennai Mockery of 10th Schedule, says SC on CM’s defection remark Rare honour J AYANTH J ACOB @ New Delhi Unanimous resolution passed in Assembly to retrieve Katchatheevu law, and pressures to secure Uzma’s return to India. Speaking at the film’s gala reception, Singh shared two key lessons from his experience: the importance of teamwork and the support of political leadership. Sushma Swaraj was the foreign minister then. Singh also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clear directions during crisis meetings to ensure the safety of every Indian citizen. Bandh against e-pass near total in Nilgiris Nilgiris: Shops downed shutters and autos and tourist taxies were off roads in Nilgiris on Wednesday in support of the bandh against the e-pass system for tourists introduced as per an HC order | P2 CPM calls for united fight against BJP, RSS Madurai: The CPM’s 24th party congress began with a call for a united, multifaceted fight against the BJP-RSS combine to oppose its ‘neo-fascist characteristics’ | P4 LS seats: CM seeks PM’s appointment Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday reiterated his request for an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to present a memorandum on the demand for ‘fair delimitation’ by an all-party team of MPs, who were part of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) on delimitation | P4 eswaram on April 6 (Sunday) to inaugurate the new Pamban Rail Bridge. The resolution urged Modi to use the Sri Lankan visit to engage with the government there and secure the release of Indian fishermen lodged in prisons and boats seized by Sri Lanka as a goodwill measure. Though opposition parties AIADMK and BJP questioned the DMK’s renewed interest in the issue, they extended their full support to the resolution.  P7 AP cricket body nudges SRH to shift base to Vizag B S N M A L L E S WARA RAO @ Vijayawada tHe Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has formally extended an invitation to Sunrise r s H yd e r ab a d ( S R H ) t o consider Visakhapatnam as their new home ground. ACA’s offer comes amid the dispute between SRH and the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) over complimentary tickets. SRH has accused the HCA management of harassing them for free tickets, and has threatened to move out of Hyderabad. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has ordered a vigilance probe. Sources said the ACA has offered to host the remainder of SRH’s matches in Vizag. The cricket body has also proposed to host the team mid-tournament and give tax incentives. Sources said the ACA reached out to SRH brass led by Kavya Maran, offering support if they decide to leave Hyderabad. The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal is SRH’s current home ground. The ACA-VDCA International Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam serves as the secondary home ground for Delhi Capitals, owned by the GMR Group. This season, Vizag hosted two IPL matches—DC vs LSG and DC vs SRH—which drew sizable crowds. Recently, ACA renovated the Vizag stadium, enhancing basic amenities and luxury facilities. “Since the Uppal stadium has a seating capacity of 39,000, compared to Vizag stadium’s 28,000, IPL franchises may incur loss of around `3 crore per match. To mitigate this, we’ve offered a SGST tax benefit of up to `1 crore per match at Vizag,” said an ACA official. Vizag is set to host the third One-Day International match between India and South Africa on December 6, 2025. Sources said the city may also host the inaugural match of Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.