29012024-TTC-01.qxd 1/29/2024 12:30 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL.8 NO. 28 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 BREAKTHROUGH IN STRATEGIC NOWSHERA TUNNEL WORK J&K RESUME FUNDING TO PALESTINIAN AID AGENCY: UN WORLD /thetribunechd TECH TOOLS VITAL TO DEBATES IN PARL REDUCED TO QUARRELS, SAYS BOOST FARMERS’ VICE-PREZ BACK PAGE INCOME INFOCUS monday | 29 january 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Another blow to INDIA as Nitish dumps RJD to form govt with BJP Sworn in 9th time| 2 Dy CMs among 3 from BJP in Cabinet Aditi Tandon NO QUESTION OF GOING ELSEWHERE NOW Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar ditched the ruling grand alliance on Sunday only to return as Bihar Chief Minister with the support of BJP-led NDA partners hours after resigning and recommending the dissolution of the Mahagathbandhan regime to Governor Rajendra Arlekar. Nitish, 72, took oath as the CM for a record ninth time, making his fifth switch of camps since 2013 and dealing a death blow to the antiBJP INDIA bloc of which he was principal architect. Arlekar administered the oath of office to Nitish and eight ministers, including three from the BJP — state unit chief Samrat Choudhary and former Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha as deputy CMs and Prem Kumar as minister. continued on page 9 edit: incorrigible nitish ❝ I was with them (NDA) earlier, too. We went on different paths... I am back where I was (NDA), and now there is no question of going anywhere else. Nitish Kumar, JANATA DAL (UNITED) PRESIDENT NDA GOVT TO FULFIL PEOPLE’S ASPIRATIONS BJP chief JP Nadda with Nitish Kumar at the swearing-in in Patna. PTI 243-MEMBER BIHAR ASSEMBLY NDA GRAND ALLIANCE MAGIC NUMBER BJP 45 HAM RJD unturned for the development of the state and to fulfil aspirations of its people. New Delhi, January 28 Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Sunday he knew Nitish Kumar was on his way out but stayed silent to keep the INDIA bloc intact. SAYS KNEW HE WAS LEAVING BUT KEPT SILENT “There are many people like ‘aaya Ram, gaya Ram’ in the country. Earlier, he and I were fighting together. When I talked to Lalu ji and Tejashwi ji, they also said Nitish Kumar was going. We continued on page 9 Narendra Modi, PM 122 JD(U) ❝ The NDA government in Bihar will leave no stone ‘Aaya Ram, gaya Ram’: Kharge on Nitish’s flip-flop CONG LEFT OTH 78 4 79 19 16 2 For Bihar veteran, survival politics at play Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 With JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar becoming Bihar Chief Minister for the record ninth time on Sunday, a review of the veteran leader’s career reveals he prefers electoral pragmatism to political perceptions about how his decisions would make him look. Since he first quit the NDA Nitish has switched camps five times since 2013 SERIES OF SWAPS 2013 2015 2017 2022 2024 Quit NDA over Narendra Modi’s elevation as BJP’s PM face Fought Bihar poll in alliance with RJD, Cong & Left Back in NDA ahead of Lok Sabha poll Dumped NDA, sensing BJP’s alleged bid to split JD(U) Back in NDA ahead of LS poll, dumping RJD, Cong, Left in 2013 ending a 17-year alliance over Narendra Modi’s elevation as BJP’s PM face, Nitish has switched camps on four occasions. Sunday was the fifth. Most Kejri: Will fight all Haryana Assembly seats, to be part of INDIA for LSpoll Chandigarh, January 28 Delhi CM and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal today announced that his party would contest all 90 Assembly seats in Haryana on its own, but would fight the Lok Sabha polls as part of the INDIA bloc. Addressing AAP’s “Badlaav Jansabha” in Jind, Kejriwal said people only had CONG GETS GOING Despite Kejri saying that AAP will fight the LS poll as part of INDIA, Haryana Congress on Sunday started the process to select candidates for the poll trust in one party — the Aam Aadmi Party. “On one side, they see Punjab and on the other, our government in Delhi. Haryana is seeking a big change,” Kejriwal said. Kejriwal, who was flanked by Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, claimed that only AAP could provide round-the-clock power supply and other facilities to people as it had done in Delhi and Punjab. — TNS swaps barring the first in 2013 have been preceded by recces to assess which side of the electoral fence is greener. After posting the JD(U)’s worst-ever Lok Sabha performance of two seats (down from 20 which it won in 2009 as part of the NDA) in 2014, a year after dumping the BJPled NDA, Nitish contested the 2015 Bihar elections in continued on page 9 In Himachal, yellow alert for snow, rain SHIMLA: The long dry spell in Himachal Pradesh is likely to come to an end. The Weather Department has issued a yellow alert for one or two spells of heavy snow/rain at isolated places in eight districts of the state for four-five days from January 30. Having endured one of the driest winters this season, people would be more thrilled than concerned by this weather alert. INSIDE US woman killed by in-laws ‘for insurance money’ Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 28 A US-based woman, Rajdeep Kaur (32), who hailed from Punjab, was allegedly murdered by her in-laws in a Kapurthala village after being invited to India on the pretext of a relative’s wedding. The mother of a five-yearold boy was a US citizen and the police claimed she was murdered for her insurance money. Babandeep Singh, DSP Sultanpur Lodhi, said, , “It is believed the woman WAS ASKED TO COME TO INDIA FOR A ‘WEDDING’ ■ On her husband’s insistence, Rajdeep came to Kapurthala for a relative’s wedding. However, there was no wedding ■ DSP Babandeep claimed she was murdered for her hefty insurance cover was murdered as she had a hefty life insurance coverage.” Her mother-in-law Daljit Kaur and father-in-law Jagdev Singh were arrested ■ While the post- mortem report stated the death was caused by “asphyxia due to smothering”, her husband said she died of a heart attack ■ Another relative said she died due to gas from a room heater by the police this morning. Her husband Manjinder Singh, who is in the US, has been booked. Rajdeep Kaur was mur- dered on the intervening night of January 19 and 20 at Nano Mallian village in Kapurthala. She along with their five-year-old son had come to Kapurthala on January 12 on the insistence of her husband. While she had US citizenship, her husband is living illegally in the US and is trying to get a green card. The police said the cause of death in the post-mortem examination report which arrived yesterday was “asphyxia due to smothering”. continued on page 9 Today’s issue is of 16 pages, including four-page Jalandhar Tribune. c m y b REUTERS MAIDEN GRAND SLAM: Italy’s Jannik Sinner with the trophy after winning the Australian Open final against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev. Laws framed today will strengthen India:Modi Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 Noting that laws being laid down today would strengthen the bright future of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the government was actively working on modernising laws to align those with the CJI TAKES UP PENDENCY CJI Chandrachud said we must address the structural issues affecting the judiciary such as pendency of cases. BACK PAGE present situation and best practices. Inaugurating the diamond jubilee celebration of the Supreme Court here, continued on page 9 IN BRIEF 31 Indian tunes to mark Beating Retreat today NEW DELHI: The Beating Retreat ceremony on Monday will have only Indian tunes. Music bands of the Army, Navy and IAF will play 31 foot-tapping tunes. TNS 1 dead, 17 hurt in Delhi temple stage collapse NEW DELHI: A woman was killed and 17 persons were injured when a stage set up for a religious function at the Kalkaji temple here collapsed on Sunday. PTI