29022024-TTC-01.qxd 2/29/2024 12:51 AM Page 1 13 TRUMP BEATS HALEY IN MICHIGAN PRIMARY WORLD /thetribunechd thursday | 29 february 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Modi Sarkar ki Guarantee 22201/13/0313/2324 Government of India Freedom from colonial mindset Scan for more information Rajpath now becomes Kartavyapath, Mughal Garden becomes Amrit Udyan, new epaulettes of Indian Navy to be based on the naval ensign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Cong scrambles to save Sukhu govt, wants six rebel MLAs disqualified PTI Observers in Shimla |Vikramaditya quits, ‘placated’ Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, February 28 The Congress on Wednesday scrambled to save its government in Himachal Pradesh amid dramatic developments that included resignation by state minister Vikramaditya Singh and initiation of disqualification proceedings against six disgruntled MLAs, who defied the party whip on voting for the passage of the Budget proposals. Though the Congress managed to overcome immediate crisis by getting the Budget passed amid pandemonium in the Assembly which led to the suspension of 15 BJP MLAs from the House, the trouble for the Sukhu government is far from over. With the saffron party reportedly trying to poach some Options open, party first, not individuals:Top brass Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service CM Sukhvinder Sukhu with Congress observers Bhupesh Baghel, DK Shivakumar & Bhupinder Hooda, & state in-charge Rajeev Shukla. CONG 34 BJP+ 34 CONG REBELS BJP INDs 6 25 3 TOTAL 68 more ruling party MLAs to facilitate a split, the battle for political supremacy between BUDGET PASSED, 15 BJP MLAs SUSPENDED Congress manages to overcome immediate crisis by getting state Budget passed amid a pandemonium in the Assembly, which led to the suspension of 15 BJP MLAs the BJP and Congress in the continued on page 11 edit: Himachal crisis New Delhi, February 28 Hit by a massive political turbulence in Himachal, a beleaguered Congress on Wednesday said saving the government was its top priority and all options were open to achieve it. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge has instructed three observers appointed for crisis management in the state — former CMs Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Bhupesh Baghel and sitting Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar — to engage all party MLAs and recommend a solution “keeping party’s interests supreme”. A final call will be taken based on the observers’ report to be Tough stance amid calls to replace Sukhu presented “soon as possible”. “We will not hesitate in taking tough decisions should the need arise,” party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said amid calls from a section of Congress lawmakers to replace Sukhu. Importantly, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, keeping a close watch on the situation, attacked the BJP for attempting to “crush the mandate Himachal gave to the Congress in December 2022 and pushing the state into a political disaster while refusing to help it during a continued on page 11 IN BRIEF Cong ignored Virbhadra’s contribution; Disney, Reliance set to merge India media ops NEW DELHI: Walt Disney Co and Reliance Industries on Wednesday announced signing of binding pacts to merge their media operations in India to create a Rs 70,000 crore behemoth. INSIDE Rajiv killing case: Freed convict Santhan dead CHENNAI: Santhan, a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case who was later freed by the SC, died here on Wednesday due to a cardiac arrest, an official said. PTI 3,300 kg drugs seized by Navy New Delhi, February 28 In a coordinated operation on India’s west coast, the Indian Navy and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) apprehended a suspicious vessel carrying almost 3,300 kg contraband (3089 kg charas, 158 kg methamphetamine and 25 kg morphine). Five foreign nationals have been arrested in this connection. The operation began after the Navy’s maritime surveillance aircraft located a suspicious dhow (small vessel). After NCB corroborated things, an Indian Navy warship, deployed for anti-piracy continued on page 9 TIME TO PUNISH DMK: PM IN TAMIL NADU BACK PAGE CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 8 NO. 59 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 won’t take ‘shabby treatment’: Minister Shimla, February 28 The resignation and outburst by Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh at a time when the party is facing its worst-ever crisis seems to have worsened the woes of the Sukhu-led Congress regime even as he has, for the time being, been placated by party observers. The outbreak by him, though not unexpected, came at a time when the government was on the brink of collapsing amid a revolt by six MLAs. He openly aired his grouse against the CM as other senior leaders were frantically making efforts to salvage the situation. He was accompanied by two legislators, Nand Lal (Rampur) and Mohan Lal Brakta (Rohru). His resignation has not been accepted as he later in continued on page 9 VIKRAMADITYA SINGH ~58-CR ‘UNDUE’ FAVOUR TO ALLOTTEE Probe HSIIDC ex-MD’s decisions:House panel Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 28 The Vidhan Sabha Committee on Public Undertakings has recommended a Vigilance inquiry into all decisions taken during the tenure of a former Managing Director of the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC). The recommendation comes following the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) observation that an “undue” favour of Rs 57.77 crore was allowed to an allottee in Sector 16, Gurugram. The report of the committee was tabled in the state CAG OBSERVATION The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) concluded that granting extension beyond request for proposal (RFP) norms and non-levying of material extension fee were tantamount to granting undue favour of over ~57.77 crore to the allottee Assembly today. The HSIIDC allotted a 12.2-acre commercial plot in Sector 16 of Gurugram to an allottee for Rs 587.56 crore through an auction against a request for continued on page 9 CBI summons Akhilesh in illegal mining case New Delhi, February 28 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav in connection with an illegal mining case in Uttar Pradesh. The former UP Chief Minister has been asked to join the investigation as a witness on February 29. The summon was issued under section 160 of CrPC. The case pertains to the issuance of mining leases in alleged violation of the e-tendering process in UP It was . alleged that from 2012 to 2016, public servants, in criminal conspiracy with the other accused, facilitated illegal mining of minor minerals continued on page 9 22 firearms stolen from Tarn Taran gunhouse Theft ahead of LS polls leaves cops in tizzy | Team formed to nab suspects Gurbaxpuri The ransacked Meet Gunhouse in Tarn Taran. PHOTO BY WRITER Tarn Taran, February 28 A huge quantity of arms and ammunition has been stolen from Meet Gunhouse situated at the Amritsar-Chabal bypass here. The theft came to the fore when the owner, Manmeet Singh, opened his shop after a week on Wednesday. In his complaint to the police, Manmeet said the thieves entered his shop after breaking a portion of the rear wall. He said the thieves searched every inch of the gunhouse and took away a total of 22 firearms, besides ammunition. These included a gun of 30.06 bore, 16 rifles of 12 bore, four revolvers of 32 bore, one pistol of 32 bore and 58 cartridges of continued on page 9 c m y b Hamara sankalp Viksit Bharat Murder FIR lodged over Shubhkaran’s death; autopsy done Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service Patiala, February 28 The deadlock between farmers and the police ended tonight with the registration of a murder case (FIR No. 0041) against unidentified persons in connection with Shubhkaran’s death at the Khanauri border on February 21. The case has been registered on the statement of his father Charanjit Singh. After the consent of district administration, farmer leaders and the family, Shubhkaran’s post-mortem was conducted around 11 pm here. The body would be taken to the Khanauri border in the morning and cremation would be held at his native village thereafter. The case was registered under Sections 302 and 114 of the IPC at the Patran police station. SKM (NonPolitical) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal confirmed CREMATION TODAY ■ As per the FIR, the victim died after being hit by a rubber pallet/bullet ■ Source of bullet and intention of firing were a matter of investigation, said the probe officer in the FIR ■ Cremation likely on Thursday the registration of the FIR. Charanjit Singh said his son had left for the Khanauri border on February 13, while he joined them two days later. On February 21, a bullet fired from the Haryana side hit Shubhkaran, who was walking right ahead of him, in the head, he claimed in the FIR. ‘1 nation, 1 poll’ on cards in 2029; law panel report to be out soon New Delhi, February 28 The Law Commission is likely to recommend ‘one nation, one election’ i.e. simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies and local bodies across India by mid-2029, sources said on Wednesday. Headed by Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi (retd), the commission is expected to propose adding a new chapter to the Constitution on ‘one nation, one election’ to make it possible to hold the world’s largest democratic exercise, they said. The law panel’s report on the three-tier simultaneous polls is expected to be out soon as Justice Awasthi has been appointed as a judicial member of the Lokpal and the report has to be submitted to the government before he takes over his new assignment, they said. A high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind is also working on ‘one nation, one election’ continued on page 9
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.
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