17092024-TTB-01.qxd 17-09-2024 00:14 Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 258 | 18 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  DELHI NO DEARTH OF LAWS TO PROTECT INTERESTS OF WOMEN: CJI NATION /thetribunechd CONG RELEASES MANIFESTO, VOWS FULL STATEHOOD J&K SENSEX REBOUNDS TO IMRAN: CONSTITUTIONAL CLOSE AT RECORD HIGH CHANGES A BID TO KEEP OF 82,988 BUSINESS ME IN PRISON WORLD tuesday | 17 september 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Kejri to resign today, calls meeting of AAP MLAs to elect next Delhi CM Metro named Namo, stirs row To meet L-G at 4.30 pm | Holds one-on-one talks with Sisodia, other top party leaders Samad Hoque Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 16 Hectic parleys marked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal’s day as he commenced the search for his successor after seeking to meet Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to tender his resignation from the Chief Minister’s post. The L-G has called Kejriwal at 4.30 pm on Tuesday for a meeting in which the CM is likely to put in his papers. Days after being released from Tihar Jail on bail in the excise policy case, the AAP national TOP CONTENDERS FOR POST ■ Atishi, who currently holds the maximum portfolios in the Delhi Cabinet ■ Saurabh Bharadwaj, who holds the key Health Department among other ministries ■ Both Atishi and Bharadwaj were the face of the Delhi Government amid Kejriwal’s incarceration ■ Gopal Rai (Environment) and Kailash Gahlot (Transport) too are in the race ■ Rakhi Birla, a Dalit leader and the Assembly Deputy Speaker, could be the surprise pick convener said on Sunday that he would resign within 48 hours and sought early elections in Delhi. He vowed not to sit in the Chief Minister’s chair till people gave him a “certificate of honesty”. The AAP supremo sought an appointment with the L-G after holding closed-door discussions with his aide and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on potential CM-ship nominees. Later in the day, Kejriwal chaired a meeting of the party’s political affairs committee (PAC) to take feedback on the next CM face. On Tuesday morning, Kejriwal has also convened a meeting of AAP MLAs, who are likely to elect the new CM. Kejriwal along with Sisodia, ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi and Kailash Gahlot, among others, were present at the PAC meeting. He is learnt to have held one-on-one meetings with all PAC members. After the meeting, Bharadwaj said Kejriwal took feedback from all leaders. He also said the CM would submit his resignation to the L-G tomorrow. “CM Kejriwal held one-onone discussions with each of continued on page 10 edit: Kejriwal’s gamble Can demoralise: VP after ‘caged’ remark on CBI Days after SC comment, Dhankhar cautions against dispiriting observations Tribune News Service Donald Trump Trumpescapes2nd assassination bid, suspect in custody WASHINGTON: Former US president Donald Trump escaped an apparent assassination attempt while he was golfing on his course in Florida, a second bid on his life in two months. Secret Service agents “opened fire on a gunman located near the property line” of Trump International Golf Club, Rafael Barros, special agent in-charge in Miami, said, adding the suspect was in custody. Trump, who was golfing at the club at the time, was unharmed. INSIDE Sebi withdraws circular on ‘toxic’ work culture New delhi, September 16 Seeking to defuse tensions with employees protesting against alleged “unprofessional work culture”, Sebi on Monday retracted its earlier statement blaming “external elements” for the unrest and committed to address the concerns “amicably through internal channels”. The withdrawal comes nearly two weeks after a protest on September 5, where hundreds of Sebi staffers held a protest demanding the withdrawal of the contentious September 4 press release and the resignation of Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch. — PTI New Delhi, September 16 Amid raging debate over the “caged parrot” remark made by Justice Ujjal Bhuyan of the Supreme Court against the CBI, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said that institutions should not become trigger points of politically inflammatory debate or narrative. “An institution is well served when it is conscious of certain limitations. Some limitations are obvious, some limitations are very fine, they are subtle. Let these sacred platforms of judiciary, legislature and executive not be trigger points of political inflammatory debate or narrative that is detrimental to the established institutions that serve the nation well in a challenging and daunting environment,” the Vice-President said. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Samvidhan Mandir at Elphinstone Technical High School and Jr College in Mumbai on Sunday, Dhankhar cautioned against comments and observations that could dispirit institutions. “Our institutions, all kinds of institutions such as the Election Commission and investigative agencies, perform duty under tight situations and an observation can dispirit them. It can set a political debate afloat. It can trigger a narrative. We have to be extremely conscious about our institutions. “They are robust… working independently… under checks and balances. They work under the rule of law. In that situation, if we work in a manner to just generate some sensation, to become a focal point or epicentre of a continued on page 10 PM Narendra Modi flags off Namo Bharat Rapid Rail between Bhuj and Ahmedabad on Monday. Initially named Vande Metro, its renaming hours before inauguration triggered a controversy. PTI Protesting docs meet Didi for 2 hrs to end RG Kar impasse Kolkata, September 16 After four unsuccessful attempts to initiate a dialogue to resolve the more than a month-long impasse over the RG Kar hospital rape-murder, a meeting finally took place between the West Bengal Government and the agitating junior doctors here today. The meeting lasted nearly two hours, after which both sides were in the process of finalising the minutes of the meeting, sources said on Monday night. A delegation TOP COURT TO EXAMINE CHALLAN, CBI REPORT An SC Bench, which had earlier flagged a missing postmortem challan, will on Tuesday examine the document likely to be submitted by the WB Government and a fresh status report to be filed by the CBI outlining new developments in its probe into the rap-murder case INSIDE of 35 doctors arrived at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence at 6.20 pm. The doctors were still inside at the time of filing the report and were working on the minutes of the meeting, the sources said. Originally scheduled at 5 pm, the meeting began around 6.50 pm and ended around 9 pm. Reports said the doctors submitted a memorandum to the CM listing their demands. Ahead of the meeting, Mamata, while speaking to a Bengali news channel, appealed to the junior doctors to end the cease work. “I continued on page 11 1,031 in fray in Haryana, rebel trouble persists as some refuse to bow out Punjab draft agri policy wants paddy banned in severely parched areas Geetanjali Gayatri Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 16 As many as 1,031 candidates will contest the Haryana Assembly elections as 190 nominees have withdrawn their papers, said Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said on the last day of withdrawal of nominations on Monday. With the BJP and the Congress managing to convince some of their rebels to withdraw in favour of the party candidates, the two national parties, facing a revolt after the ticket distribution, might be over the hump but they certainly cannot breathe easy yet as campaigning picks up pace in Haryana. While five prominent rebels of the BJP withdrew their candidature before the deadline expired, the Congress managed to convince as many as 10 rebels to withdrawn their nominations in favour of the party’s official candidates. After Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini of the caretaker BJP NOMINEE QUITS FOR KANDA, IN VAIN Tribune News Service ■ High drama was witnessed in Sirsa, where BJP’s Rohtash Jangra withdrew his nomination in support of Gopal Kanda, who has tied up with INLD ■ When INLD’s Abhay Chautala questioned the BJP support, Kanda turned down BJP offer. The fight is now between Kanda and Cong’s Gokul Setia government in Haryana went all out to dissuade rebels from contesting elections and other senior leaders also reached out to them, the party expressed satisfaction with the outcome. The senior BJP rebels who have withdrawn their nomination papers include Rajiv Jain (Sonepat), Bharti Saini and Shiv Kumar Mehta (Narnaul), former Deputy Speaker Santosh Yadav (Ateli)) and Rampal Yadav (Kosli). However, the prominent rebels still in the fray include Devender Kadian (Ganaur), Zile Ram Sharma (Assandh), continued on page 10 Locals at an election rally addressed by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in Pulwama. ANI Infinalpush,Shah,Omarholdrallies on last day of J&KPh-I campaign 219 candidates in fray | Jamaat to contest after 35 years Adil Akhzer Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 16 The campaigning for the first phase of the Assembly elections, which witnessed many twists and aggressive campaigning by parties, ended on Monday evening. All eyes are now set on Wednesday’s polling. Two days before the UT’s 24 seats — 16 in Kashmir, eight WILL BURY TERROR For once, defeat three families (Abdullahs, Gandhis, Muftis), and I promise terrorism will be buried so deep it won’t surface again. ❝ —Amit Shah in Kishtwar in Jammu region — the parties on Monday made a final pitch to woo voters across South Kashmir districts, and in the Jammu region. The campaign got electrified after the entry of Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid, who walked out of jail last week after he was granted interim bail, giving his faceless organisation, Awami Ittehad Party, the muchneeded boost. Rashid has been holding rallies and continued on page 10 Chandigarh, September 16 Punjab’s draft Agriculture Policy has recommended a ban on all long-duration paddy varieties and paddy cultivation in 15 dark blocks, with 300 per cent more water extraction than recharge rate. Though the policy, which was shared with some farmer unions in the state late evening today, is silent on free power subsidy to the farm sector, the policy has recommended that “… traditional puddling should be discouraged and banned in phased manner”. The policy gives a path to bring power subsidy down by 30-35 per cent by implementing micro-irrigation systems in a phased manner; solarisation of agriculture pumpsets and using canal water for irrigation, rather than groundwater extraction. The draft policy says that in view of the water emergencylike situation in Punjab, the government should set a policy target of saving a minimum Favours own insurance, MSP for all crops | Draft shared with farmers of 30 per cent (20 BCM) of the state’s total water demand (66.12 BCM). The blocks where paddy cultivation is recommended to be banned should be put under alternative crops, such as cotton, maize, sugarcane, vegetables, and orchards to save them from turning barren in the near future. “The farmers in these designated blocks should be compensated in such a way that they may get higher returns from alternative crops than that of paddy cultivation. In the same way, the next blocks with higher water extraction rates should be undertaken in subsequent phases,” says the policy, formulated by the Agriculture Policy Formulation Committee headed by economist Sukhpal Singh, who is also chairman of the Punjab Farmers and Farm Workers Commission. continued on page 11 Muktsar doc, a NEET topper, dies by suicide Kinnaur eyes border tourism near Shipki La Pratibha Chauhan Cops rule out foul play | Medical fraternity expresses shock Anshita Mehra & archit Watts Tribune News Service NewDelhi/Muktsar, Sept16 The medical student fraternity in Delhi woke up to the tragic news of the death of Navdeep Singh, a second-year PG student at Maulana Azad Medical College, who was found hanging at his rented accommodation here on Sunday. Singh, who hailed from Muktsar in Punjab, had secured AIR 1 in the NEET-UG in 2017. He was a second-year MD (radiology) student. The 25-year-old’s demise stunned Delhi’s medical students who are still recovering from the shock of Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital rape and murder. Talking to The Tribune, Dhirendra, SHO, IP Estate police station, said, “The incident came to light when the victim’s father asked a relative in Delhi to check on him as he was not answering his calls. The relative reached Navdeep’s residence at Parsi Anjuman Dharamshala and found him hanging from the ceiling fan. He then informed the police.” His body was handed over to his family after a postmortem examination. “No continued on page 10 Tribune News Service Navdeep Singh Shimla, September 16 Residents of border villages near Shipki La, a mountain pass along China in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, have demanded the promotion of border tourism, hoping it would not only improve infrastructure but also provide an economic push to the remote region. Shipki La used to serve as an ancient trade route with Chi- Today’s issue is of 18 pages, including four-page Delhi Tribune. c m y b Bartering with Tibet closed since Covid na, but it lies closed after the Covid outbreak in 2020. Several traders, including Jeevan Lal of Namgiya village, who traded through barter system, said they were yet to collect dues for 2019 from their Chinese counterparts. “We will approach the authorities to explore the potential of promoting border tourism around the 18,599-foot Shipki La, an area historically significant for trade with Tibet,” said Hishey Negi, president of the Indo-China Trade Association via Shipki La. Hishey said Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi’s announcement on plans to open border areas such as the Tiger Hill battlefield for tourism had offered hope to the Kinnaur people of a simi- lar initiative for Shipki La. “We will approach the Army through the state government… The step will help take tourism to the interiors of tribal Kinnaur, bringing rich dividends for the residents,” he said. The trade through Shipki La was allowed between June 1 and November 30. The local administration and the Industries Department would issue permits to the continued on page 10