03072024-TT-01.qxd 7/2/2024 10:48 PM NEPAL PARTIES STRIKE DEAL TO OUST PM PRACHANDA WORLD /thetribunechd Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 183 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 HIMACHAL PRADESH WON’T TRUST EVMs EVEN IF WE GET 80 SEATS: SP BACK PAGE wednesday | 3 july 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com 116 killed in stampede at UP’s Hathras as disciples vie for their guru’s glimpse Modi hurls balak buddhi barb at Rahul, terms Cong parasite Hathras (UP), July 2 A stampede at a religious congregation here killed 116 persons on Tuesday as devotees were suffocated to death and bodies piled atop each other in the worst such tragedy in recent years. The stampede took place as people headed home after a ‘satsang’ in the district’s Phulrai village, conducted by a preacher known as Bhole Baba. Twenty-seven bodies were brought to a hospital in neighbouring Etah district. Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar Singh said 23 of them were women. And 89 lay dead in Hathras itself. Tribune News Service Animesh Singh New Delhi, July 2 A day after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a frontal attack on the BJP-led NDA government, accusing it of spreading hatred and violence in the name of Hinduism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday tore into the Congress, calling it a parasitical (parjeevi) party, which depended on its allies to stay politically relevant. He called Rahul “childish” on whom “even the nation has given up”, saying “tumse na ho payega” (you cannot do it). In his two-hour-long reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Lok Sabha, Modi said the Congress “eats into the votes of its allies”, and lambasted it for failing to open its account in 13 states in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. He said it was the third consecutive poll in which the PM MOURNS DEATHS ❝ Condolences to those who lost their dear ones... hope for the speedy recovery of the injured. Narendra Modi, PM Aligarh Range Inspector General of Police Shalabh Mathur put the death toll at 116. The victims, dead or unconscious, were brought to the Sikandara Rao Trauma Centre in trucks and ‘tempos’. The bodies lay scattered outside the health centre as people milled around them. One video clip showed a woman crying, sitting amid five or six bodies in a truck. Another showed a man and a woman lifeless in another vehicle. Clips before the stampede showed people in a large ‘shamiana’ listening to Bhole Baba. The baba sat before them on a throne-like chair. District Magistrate Ashish Kumar said the ‘satsang’ was a private function for which the SDM had granted permission. continued on page 8 Says it eats into the votes of its allies to stay politically relevant PM Narendra Modi speaks in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. PTI LOK SABHA ADJOURNED SINE DIE ■ On NEET paper leak, PM said about the Hathras stampede government was taking steps to bring the culprits to book ■ In the middle of his speech, Modi informed the House ■ The LS was adjourned sine Congress failed to reach the 100-seat mark on its own, and got stuck at 99 this time. Modi’s speech was continuously disrupted by the Congress-led Opposition, which stood in the well of the House, raising slogans such as “Give justice to Manipur”. As soon as Modi began his speech, Congress MPs formed a human chain in the well of the House even as Speaker Om Birla warned die after PM concluded his reply to Motion of Thanks on President’s Address Defies logic: Rahul on expunged remarks Tribune News Service Bodies of victims lie in a bus in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday. PTI WORST TRAGEDIES AT RELIGIOUS EVENTS 340 killed at Mandhardevi temple 104 Sabarimala devotees killed at in Satara (Maha) on Jan 25, 2005 250 dead at Jodhpur’s Chamunda Devi temple on Sept 30, 2008 162 killed at Naina Devi temple in Himachal’s Bilaspur on Aug 3, 2008 115 killed near Ratangarh temple in MP’s Datia on Oct 13, 2013 Pulmedu in Kerala on Jan 14, 2011 63 killed at Ram Janki Temple in UP’s Pratapgarh on March 4, 2010 39 devotees killed at Kumbh Mela in Nashik on Aug 27, 2003 32 dead at Gandhi Maidan in Patna post Dasehra festivity on Oct 3, 2014 Be unbiased, restore speech, he urges Speaker Birla New Delhi, July 2 Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, expressing his concerns over expunging of “significant portions” of his speech during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address on July 1. In his letter, Rahul expressed disappointment over the manner in which his remarks were removed from the official proceedings, suggesting that this action undermines the principles of parliamentary democra- WRITES TO PM FOR DEBATE IN LS ON NEET Rahul, in a letter to PM Modi, urged him to facilitate a debate on NEET row in Lower House. “Our students deserve answers. A parliamentary debate is first step towards rebuilding and restoring their faith,” he wrote. SC TO HEAR PLEAS FOR SCRAPPING OF NEET-UG ON JULY 8 BACK PAGE cy and the rights of elected representatives. Rahul also cited BJP MP Anurag Thakur’s speech, saying it was full of allegations, but surprisingly only one word was expunged from it. He said, “This selective expunction defies logic.” No basis to blame farm Punjab sends plea for Amritpal’s oath to Birla fires in Punjab for Delhi ‘WILL BE REJECTED IF HE FAILS TO DELIVER’ smog: NGTmember ❝ He should be given a chance to work for society. If he fails to live up to the expectations of people, he will Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 2 National Green Tribunal (NGT) member Justice Sudhir Agarwal has voiced his scepticism over the widely held belief that stubble burning in Punjab significantly contributes to Delhi’s air pollution, emphasising the lack of scientific evidence to substantiate the claim. “Neither is there a scientific study to establish this claim, nor is it practical to prove that smoke from Punjab is causing pollution in Delhi,” said Justice Agarwal at the “Conference on Environment-Friendly Paddy Cultivation”. He called for a thorough research to determine the actual causes of the air pollution in the region. Highlighting the “injustice” faced by farmers, he argued, “Blaming farmers, registering cases against them and imposing penalties is very unjust. Most farmers are uneducated and changing their mindset will take time. Instead of penalising Justice Sudhir Agarwal calls for in-depth study to find out actual cause them, there is need to visit every village and hold awareness campaigns.” Known for his landmark judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, Justice Agarwal said farmers had a crucial role to play in environmental conservation. “Environment is directly linked to agriculture. So, it’s their responsibility to maintain greenery,” he said, stressing the importance of surface soil and sustainable farming practices. Reflecting on his tenure at the NGT, Justice Aggarwal said, “Since I joined the tribunal three years ago, I was told that stubble burning causes pollution…. About 20-25 years ago, air pollution was not attributed to stubble burning. Blaming farmers for every issue is beyond my understanding.” continued on page 8 Chandigarh/Amritsar, July 2 The Punjab Government has sent an application to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for grant of parole to National Security Act detainee Amritpal Singh to take oath as Khadoor Sahib MP even as people of his constituency feel he should be released and allowed to discharge his duties as an elected public representative. Reluctant to discuss the contradictory stand taken by the Give him chance to prove himself: Khadoor Sahib voters be rejected in the next elections. A Bundala village resident pro-Khalistan leader, who contested the LS poll despite having claimed that he did not have faith in the Indian Constitution, his supporters feel he must get an opportunity to serve his duties and “bust the image of an anarchist”. “If he fails to live up to the expectations of the people, he must, like other politicians, face defeat in the next elections,” says Jaspreet Singh, a resident of Bundala village in Jandiala Guru constituency. “I feel he has been demonised. He had been highlighting the problems of the people. The government should give him a chance to see whether he works for the society or not,” he says. In Tarn Taran Assembly segment, a section also feels Amritpal should be given a chance to fulfil his promises on drugs and betterment of youth, despite his political ideology or how is perceived continued on page 8 He emphasised his expunged remarks reflected ground realities and factual positions, asserting his right as a member of the House to speak freely as enshrined in Article 105(1) of the Constitution. “Every member of the House who personifies the collective voice of people whom he or she represents has the freedom of speech... It is every member’s right to raise people’s concerns on the floor of the House,” he said, adding the removal of continued on page 8 edit: Making a mark SEBI slaps notice on Hindenburg for report on Adanis NEW DELHI: Markets regulator SEBI has slapped Hindenburg Research with a showcause notice for alleged unfair trade practices in its 2023 broadside against the Adani Group — a move the US firm termed as an attempt to “silence and intimidate” those exposing corruption. SEBI charged Hindenburg of “deliberately sensationalising and distorting certain facts” in its January 2023 report on the Adani group. BACK PAGE HC seeks CBI reply on Kejriwal’s plea against arrest NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the CBI to respond to a plea by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest in a corruption case related to the excise policy “scam”. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna issued a notice to the CBI and asked it to file its reply within seven days. The court said Kejriwal’s counsel might file rejoinder, if any, within two days thereafter. It listed the matter for arguments on July 17. Besides his arrest, Kejriwal has also challenged the trial court’s orders by which he was remanded to three-day CBI custody and then judicial custody till July 12. — TNS Haryana nod to S+4 floors, to benefit 3.23L plot owners CHANDIGARH: With the Haryana Government giving its nod to the construction of stilt-plus-four floors on residential plots, the Town and Country Planning Department on Tuesday said the move would benefit nearly 3.23 lakh plot owners across the state. The permission has been granted with certain conditions, including a no-objection certificate (NOC) from adjoining plot owners. If neighbours refuse to give the consent, the plot owner must leave a side setback of 1.8 m from adjoining plots for all floors. The construction of basement is prohibited if the area is less than 250 sq m. Minister JP Dalal said: “Adjoining plot owners who refuse to grant consent will be ineligible for stilt-plus-4 floor approvals on their plots in future.” INSIDE Free bus travel sop for women takes PRTC for a fiscal ride Aman Sood Tribune News Service RAJESH SACHAR Neeraj Mohan Tribune News Service Rahul not to allow such a conduct in the House. Two Congress MPs from Manipur — Angomcha Bimol Akoijam and Alfred Arthur — were asked to lead the protest. Both of them stood with their arms held aloft, holding each other’s fists along with Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi and raising slogans against the government. Taking a swipe at Rahul, Modi said a conspiracy was being hatched to level false allegations against Hindus, and claimed that the entire Congress ecosystem was against Hindus. The PM was referring to Rahul’s comments on Monday, when he had accused the BJP of spreading “violence, hatred and lies”, stating that these were against the tenets of Hinduism. “It’s a serious matter that a conspiracy is being hatched to level false allegations against Hindus,” he said, adding there was a well-planned strategy to continued on page 8 Passengers, mostly women, board a PRTC bus in Patiala on Tuesday. Patiala, July 2 Parmeet Kaur, a 54-year-old widow from Patiala who lost her husband in 2020, is somewhat relieved that she, along with her daughter, is able to meet her brother and her son in Ferozepur every weekend, that too free of cost. Punjabi women are now travelling more in government buses, courtesy a free travel scheme, which has helped them in a big way, especially those from lower income groups, but the c m y b Scheme a hit with fair sex, who now travel more often GOVT OWES IT OVER ~250 CRORE ■ Free bus scheme bleeding release salaries and pensions PRTC; till last month, government owed it over ~250 crore in lieu of free travel provided to women ■ Due to delay in clearing dues on time, PRTC struggling to ■ PRTC officials say they have scheme is bleeding the staterun Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC). The free travel for women in government buses, started by the previous Congress govern- ment, costs the government almost Rs 1 crore daily, which it reimburses to the PRTC. However, in recent times, the reimbursement was delayed, hitting the PRTC financially. written to the government several times to release the dues ■ “As per rules, the government has to clear the dues monthly,” said an official “Earlier, I used to travel once a year, that too on an occasion such as a festival to meet my aged parents, who reside in Fazilka. A round trip from my place in Zirakpur to my parents’ village would cost around Rs 300. After the scheme started, I always make it a point to take my daughter along. While she also travels free of cost, I pay the fare of my son,” says Neeru Naroola. Punjab has over 1.31 crore women and girls as per the 2011 Census. The total population is 2.77 crore. continued on page 8
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).