10022019-TT-01.qxd 09-02-2019 22:38 Page 1 123 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | jammu | srinagar | vol.139 no.40 | 30 pages | ~5.00 | regd.no.chd/0006/2018-2020 established in 1881 | sunday, february10 2019 NPP TO QUIT NDA IF BILL PASSED IN RS PAGE 7 SPECTRUM /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Diplomatic skirmish over Modi’s visit to Arunachal Jaitley back from US after treatment India rebuffs China’s objection, says state is an ‘integral’ part of India New Delhi, February 9 Union Minister Arun Jaitley today returned from the United States, where he was undergoing medical treatment. “Delighted to be back home,” he tweeted. Jaitley, who was the Finance Minister before a medical procedure led to the charge being temporarily taken away from him, missed presenting the sixth and final Budget of the Narendra Modi government before the elections. In his absence, the charge of the ministry was given to Railways Minister Piyush Goyal. Jaitley, 66, had last month flown to New York for the treatment after being reportedly diagnosed with soft tissue cancer, which required surgery. He underwent renal transplant surgery on May 14, 2018, at AIIMS. — PTI Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 9 Foreign Offices of China and India today engaged in a statement war over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh. China’s reaction was elaborate while India restricted itself to reiterating that the state was an “integral and inalienable part of India”. The MEA also pointed out that the Chinese side had been frequently informed that in line with this approach, Indian leaders often visited Arunachal, as they did any other state for political stock-taking. China usually reserves its ire against the President, PM and the Dalai Lama visiting Arunachal. But in a break from the post-Wuhan summit bonhomie, it had also opposed Defence Minister Nirmala Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu in Itanagar on Saturday. PTI BORDER DISPUTE: 21 ROUNDS OF TALKS SO FAR Sitharaman’s tour of military installations in the state. India never objects to visits of Chinese PLA generals to Aksai Chin, to which it lays claim. India, said the Chinese Foreign Office, should take into consideration bilateral ties by respecting “Chinese interests and concerns, cherish the momentum of improving relations, and not take any action that will complicate the border dispute”. Curiously, this sabre-rattling takes place at a time when Russia, India and China (RIC) are considering a trilateral ministerial in Bei- Farmers not enthused: Jakhar to Rahul Says people want Punjab Govt to go after big fish in its war against drugs Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 9 At a strategy meeting of state Congress chiefs and legislature party leaders here on Saturday, Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar did some plainspeaking on issues rankling the people of Punjab on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections. He told party president Rahul Gandhi that much more needed to be done on the farm loan waiver, war on Twitter CEO defies House committee New Delhi, Fenruary 9 Days before US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ India visit, the CEO of social media site Twitter, Jack Dorsey, refused to appear before a parliamentary committee on Monday. The offer of sending junior officials as substitutes elicited a sharp reaction from the BJP which warned Twitter of repercussions. The committee had accommodated Twitter’s objection to the short travel notice, shifting the meeting by four days. The company stopped short of an outright con- ❝If Twitter is disrespecting Parliament, then there are repercussions.❞ Meenakshi Lekhi, BJP frontation. It offered to send officials to answer concerns regarding privacy, suggesting a senior official could travel to India in due course. Parliamentary panel chief Anurag Thakur said the committee had taken “serious view” of the letter and warned of “further action”. A Twitter spokesperson said: “We not only have deep respect for India’s parliamentary process, we are also committed to serving the people who use Twitter in the Indian market.” The dispute could add to the list of grievances that the US Commerce Secretary will carry to Delhi. — TNS Today’s issue is of 30 pages, including six-page Spectrum. drugs and anti-sacrilege measures and that the party’s political messaging in each of these spheres needed to improve drastically. Before Jakhar, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh spoke about the achievements of his government, mentioning the Rs 5,500-crore farm loan waiver and the arrest of 25,000 people during the state’s war on drugs, assuring Rahul Gandhi of Congress’ victory in all 13 Lok Sabha constituencies. The CM reportedly left early and the onus of answering the high command’s pointed questions on the ground situation fell on Jakhar. He is learnt to have told Rahul Gandhi that the farmers were not too enthused about the waiver. He also said neither Congress workers nor farmers were directly involved and the scheme was administered “bureaucratically rather than politically”. The political messaging on haryana VADRA GRILLED FOR 8 HOURS ON THIRD DAY BACK PAGE FEARLESS FREDA /thetribunechd ! loan waiver could have been much better, Jakhar argued. On the war on drugs, he said people wanted the government to go after the “big fish”, a veiled reference to a section of Akalis. “The people have decided who’s guilty and they want us to go after the real culprits,” Jakhar reportedly told Gandhi. He also said the “conspirators of Guru Granth Sahib’s sacrilege in 2015 are still at large and need to be held accountable because the people want so”. jing to coordinate positions and keep communication channels open while India enters the election mode. That meeting, planned for this month-end, could be in jeopardy after US President Donald Trump announced a summit meeting with the North Korean leader on one of the proposed RIC dates. China’s opposition to highlevel visits to Arunachal is treated as a rite of passage, but straws in the wind suggest the need to calm down tensions. In January, Chinese construction workers had transgressed into the Indian side in the Upper Siang border district. They went back after Indian forces asked them to do so. Modi, during his visit, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 4,000 crore. see also page 7 EAR TOTHE GROUND ROHTAK BACK PAGE HP Budget focuses on rural populace No new taxes, 15 schemes proposed Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, February 9 Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today presented a populist budget of Rs 44,387 crore for financial year 2019-20 as he sought to woo farmers and rural populace with an eye on the Lok Sabha polls. Presenting a tax-free budget in his three-hour speech in Hindi, the Chief Minister outlined an increase of 7 per cent as against last year’s Rs 41,439 crore. The Annual Plan 2019-20 has been pegged at Rs 7,100 crore and the deficit will be met through borrowings of Rs 5,069 crore. The shadow of the poor fiscal health of the state was more than evident as Thakur confined himself to announcing a mere 15 new schemes, as compared to 30 announced last year. This despite the fact that Thakur is faced with the challenging task of ensuring that the BJP retains all four Lok Sabha seats the party won in 2014. The fiscal deficit of Rs 7,352 crore reflects on the poor financial health of the state, which has very limited revenue generating areas. “It will be wrong to say that we have tried to provide succour Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur ~44,388 crore OUTLAY UP BY 7% FOR 2019-20 ~33,747 crore ESTIMATED REVENUE RECEIPTS ~36,089 crore LIKELY EXPENDITURE ~7,352 crore FISCAL DEFICIT . to the people with an eye on the polls, as our only objective is good governance and delivery,” he remarked. Most of the new schemes are in the farm, animal husbandry, rural and social sectors. A special emphasis has been laid on schemes for destitute women, widows, girl child, daily-wagers and employees. Uttarakhand-UP hooch tragedy toll rises to 70 Lucknow/Haridwar, Feb 9 The toll in the hooch tragedy that hit two adjoining districts in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh has risen to 70, though officially names of 36 persons have been confirmed in Saharanpur alone. The viscera examination on 11 more bodies is yet to be conducted to find out if these were alcohol-related deaths. Twenty-four of the victims died in Balupur and its neighbouring villages in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district. At least 46 others, who had come home to the adjoining Saharanpur district in UP after drinking the spurious liquor in Balupur on Thursday, are also dead. The toll may rise further as critical patients are being treated in Saharanpur district hospital and have also been referred to medical facilities in Roorkee and Meerut as well as private hospitals elsewhere. The post-mortem of 36 persons had confirmed death by poisonous liquor, consumed at a post-death ceremony. Saharanpur (Sadar) MLA Sanjay Garg said: “Relatives of those taken ill and dead have revealed that a network of illicit liquor is flourishing about which they have frequently complained.” He said people of 16 villages had gone into mourning. — TNS/PTI