04022019-TTC-01.qxd 04-02-2019 01:20 Page 1 13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | jammu | srinagar | vol.3 no.34 | 16 pages | ~4.50 | regd.no.chd/0006/2018-2020 established in 1881 | monday, february 4,2019 SHAH: BJP FIRM ON CITIZENSHIP BILL PAGE 7 POPE ARRIVES IN UAE FOR HISTORIC TRIP WORLD /thetribunechd 6 killed in Bihar train derailment INDIA WRAP UP SERIES 4-1, RECORD VS KIWIS SPORT /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com REUTERS PM:Will break back of terrorism in Kashmir Pakistan Foreign Minister now calls up Geelani Tribune News Service Surgical strikes show India’s new ‘neeti, reeti’ on terror Ehsan Fazili At least six passengers were killed and 29 injured when a rail fracture led to derailment of 11 coaches of the Delhi-bound Seemanchal Express in Bihar’s Vaishali district at 4 am on Sunday. Ten trains were cancelled and eight diverted. IN BRIEF Chidambaram can be prosecuted by CBI, MHA told New Delhi: The Ministry of Law and Justice has told the Ministry of Home Affairs that the CBI can be allowed to prosecute senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in the INX media case. The Law Ministry has told the MHA there was “no legal infirmity” in the request seeking prosecution sanction. Chidambaram’s son Karti has already been charged in the case. TNS Rajasthan to hold farm loan waiver camps from Feb 7 Jaipur: In a pre-emptive move to check Opposition BJP’s ‘jail bharo’ over farmers’ greivances, the Rajasthan Government on Sunday announced organising farm loan waiver camps from February 7 in all 33 districts. Farmers who had taken loans from cooperative banks are eligible for a waiver certificate, says the Congress manifesto that has been adopted as a policy document. OC INF CUS START-UPS EVOLVE OR PERISH The factor that will determine the success of the start-up ecosystem is the ability of entrepreneurs to retain consumer loyalty in a profitable way. INSIDE Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced ~5 lakh ex gratia each to kin of those killed, ~1 lakh for grievously injured and ~50,000 for those with minor injuries. The Commissioner Railway Safety (Eastern Zone) will conduct an inquiry. PAGE 7 ~6,000 a year to farmer too less, double it, says Sukhbir Chandigarh, February 3 The Shiromani Akali Dal today said the Rs 6,000 per annum direct income support announced for farmers by the NDA government was too less. This happens to be the first reaction by the BJP ally on the Interim Budget. The SAD had recently expressed anger over alleged interference in Sikh affairs by the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, an RSS affiliate, and threatened to snap ties with the BJP Having objected to . an alleged bid by the Sangat to take over Sikh shrines, the party, though a constituent of the NDA, had not reacted to the Budget. Tough posturing by the Akali Dal, despite having received an assurance from the BJP chief that the RSS would not step on to Akali Dal’s turf, shows the issues between the allies might have been sorted out for now, but the peace could be “conditional”. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal emphasised that the assured income support announced by the Modi government was too less. “Pun- WAIVER ALL ACROSS PM’s given ~10,000 crore to Nirav Modi, only ~17 per day to farmers. If Congress comes to power, it would waive farm loans, like in MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh ❝ Rahul Gandhi, CONG PRESIDENT PHENOMENAL: MODI Kisan Samman Nidhi is a phenomenal scheme. People sitting in AC rooms in Delhi do not know what ~6,000 means for poor farmer ❝ Narendra Modi, PRIME MINISTER jab is different from other states and a minimum of Rs 12,000 per annum should have been announced. A delegation of Akali Dal MPs will meet the Finance Minister to request him to increase the income support,” he said. The government should also extend the scheme to farm labourers, he added. He said BJP chief Amit Shah assured him at a meeting on Friday night that amendments made to the Takht Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Board Nanded Act, 1956, would be repealed. Addressing reporters, the SAD chief declared that the two parties would contest the elections together. “The seat arrangement (SAD 10, BJP three) would be the same, although discussions are on to evaluate the possibility of any change,” he said. A meeting of the coordination committee would be held this week to sort out all issues, he said. Badal said the SAD core committee had also asked the Punjab Government to fulfil its moral obligation towards farmers and farm labourers by announcing a matching direct income support for them, as done by the Centre.— TNS ‘Money may go up’ back page Mamata vs CBI in 48% jump in foreign Kolkata showdown air traffic in Amritsar Protests agency attempt to quiz top cop Passenger footfall crosses 2.6 lakh-mark Kolkata, February 3 An all-out war broke out between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government tonight, with the feisty West Bengal leader beginning a sitin protest at a city landmark over the CBI’s attempt to question the Kolkata police chief in connection with chit fund scams, insisting it stifled the spirit of “Constitution and federalism”. In a dramatic showdown with the BJP government, a furious Banerjee began a sitin in front of the Metro Cinema to protest “insults” she faced at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, hours after a CBI team that had gone to question Rajeev Kumar was detained in a rare face-off between the police establishments of the Centre and the state. continued on page 7 GS Paul Tribune News Service West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee during a sit-in. PTI ‘COUP BID BY PM, SHAH’ Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are trying to stage a coup in the state as we had organised the Opposition rally on January 19. We were aware that the CBI will attack us after we organised the rally. ❝ Mamata Banerjee, WEST BENGAL CM Amritsar, February 3 With the introduction of direct international flights and better infrastructure, the Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport here has witnessed a 48 per cent growth in passenger footfall, data provided by the Airports Authority of India suggests. In December 2018, the airport saw its highest-ever international commuter footfall of 83,276 as against 56,284 in December 2017. Similarly, the passengers carried by international airlines during the first nine months (April-December) in the 201819 fiscal reached 5.6 lakh as against 4.4 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year — a growth of 26.2 per cent, the second highest after Coimbatore (27.7%). This is being attributed to PASSENGER TRAVEL UP CIRCUIT DEC 2018 DEC 2017 GROWTH Foreign 83,276 56,284 48% Domestic 1,76,898 1,62,932 8.6% Total 2,60,174 2,19,216 18.7% SOURCE: AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA the launch of four direct international flights in 2018 by Air India to Birmingham, Air Asia X (Kuala Lumpur), IndiGo (Dubai) and Spicejet (Bangkok). While the major factor for the boost in total passenger traffic is international, the contribution of domestic traffic is also significant. The domestic passenger footfall at the airport increased by 8.6 per cent to highest-ever 1,76,898 in December 2018, up from continued on page 7 Srinagar, February 3 Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the government wanted to “break the back of terrorism” and would take all steps for a peaceful and prosperous Kashmir. After e-inaugurating several infrastructure and development projects for Kashmir and elsewhere, PM Modi said a peaceful atmosphere would help development and progress in the state. “We want to break the back of terrorism in the state,” he said at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre after inspecting the Dal lake here this afternoon. Modi said surgical strikes had shown to the world the new policy (neeti) and tradition (reeti) of the country in responding to acts of terror. He said it was painful to learn about the killing of youth in the state, particularly Kashmir valley, where the youth were being targeted by the (separatist) militants. Without referring to the separatists, he said the people of Kashmir, by participating in the urban local body and panchayat elections last year, had sent across a clear INDERJEET SINGH Tribune News Service MARTYR AURANGZEB’S FATHER JOINS BJP Mohd Haneef (right, above), father of martyr Aurangzeb, on Sunday joined the BJP in PM Narendra Modi’s presence. Abducted by terrorists from Pulwama, Armyman Aurangzeb’s bullet-riddled body was found in July 2018. He was a Gujjar from Poonch. CONG’S FARM LOAN WAIVER A GIMMICK: PM INSIDE message to those believing in “hatred and negativity”. “It was a clear message for them (separatists) as the people made clear their belief in the democratic process of the country,” Modi said. He also referred to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dreams for Kashmir and added that his government would continue to fulfill the dreams for uplifting the trouble-torn state. He reiterated his slogan of “Sab ka saath sab ka vikas” for a prosperous Kashmir, saying that his government would continue to “strive for that”. Modi pointed out that his government had the distinction of completing projects on the ground, which had not been the practice of the previous government. During his rally in Vijaypur, Jammu, Modi talked about a “very emotional issue” of Kashmiri Pandits, saying he have been bearing the pain of their exodus. Srinagar/new delhi, Feb 3 Even as New Delhi expressed strong disapproval over his previous call to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday night called up another Kashmiri separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani, and assured him of support for separatism. In a statement, Geelani said they discussed “the volatile situation” in Jammu and Kashmir and he also thanked Pakistan for its “moral, political and diplomatic support”. Geelani said Qureshi assured that Pakistan would continue to extend its “political, moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris for their right to self-determination in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions”. The two phone calls from Pakistani Foreign Minister to Kashmiri separatists have come at a time when Islamabad is preparing to observe Kashmir Day on Tuesday. On Wednesday, India had summoned Pakistan envoy Sohail Mahmood and told him that Qureshi’s conversation with Mirwaiz was a “brazen attempt” to subvert India’s unity and violate its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).