16092024-TTC-01.qxd 9/16/2024 12:43 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 8 NO. 257 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 ANTI-QUOTA MINDSET: DHANKHAR TAKES DIG AT CONG NATION /thetribunechd PANCHAYAT ELECTIONS LIKELY TO BE HELD IN MID-OCTOBER PUNJAB DAYS BEFORE POLLING, JAMMU ROCKED BY TWO ENCOUNTERS J&K US VOWS $202 MN AID TO B’DESH TO BOOST DEVELOPMENT WORLD monday | 16 september 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Kejri: Will quit as CM in 2 days, return after Delhi gives ‘honesty certificate’ Vij defies BJPdiktat, throws hat in ring for CM’s position Seeks early Assembly elections | New AAP leader to take charge BJP dubs it CM’s Ambala, September 15 Former Haryana Home Minister and six-time MLA Anil Vij today staked claim to the Chief Minister’s post in case the BJP romps home in the Assembly elections, saying he was the senior-most MLA of the party in the state. Vij said despite being so senior, he had never asked for anything from the party. He said, “This time, there is huge pressure from the people of Ambala Cantonment and from across Haryana. People are coming to me…wherever I go, they ask me why I never became the Chief Minister despite being the senior-most leader.” “This time, based on seniority, I will stake claim to the CM’s post. Whether the party makes me the CM or not is its prerogative, but in case it does, I will change the face crime confession Samad Hoque Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 15 Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he would resign as the Delhi Chief Minister in the next two days and return to the post only after receiving a “certificate of honesty” from the people of the national capital. Sounding the poll bugle months ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, due in February next year, Kejriwal demanded an early poll. He termed his decision to step down from the post of CM “agnipariksha” after coming out of jail following six-month incarceration in the Delhi excise policy “scam” case. Just two days after the Supreme Court granted him regular bail in the case, Kejriwal’s announcement sent shock waves within AAP and the entire political spectrum with the BJP terming it a publicity stunt. Addressing party workers for the first time at AAP’s new headquarters, the CM said, “Today, I have come to the people’s court… main desh ki janata se janana chahata huin kya aap Kejriwal ko imaandaar maante ho ya gunehgaar (I want to ask the people of the country whether they consider Kejriwal honest or guilty).” “I will sit in the CM’s chair only after people give me a certificate of honesty. I want to give ‘agnipariksha’ after continued on page 8 EYEING 3RD TERM? CM Kejriwal with ministers Kailash Gahlot (L), Saurabh Bharadwaj (2L) and Atishi. PTI ❝ NO LUST FOR POWER, QUIT EARLIER TOO DUE TO PRINCIPLES I resigned as CM in 2014 after remaining in power for 49 days due to my principles. No one sought my resignation. I do not have a lust for power. — Arvind Kejriwal, DELHI CM New Delhi, September 15 The BJP on Sunday described Arvind Kejriwal’s announcement to resign as the Delhi CM in two days as a “confession of crime”. It sought to know why the CM needed 48 hours to tender his resignation, hinting at an internal conflict in AAP . BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Kejriwal’s move appeared to be an emotional ploy after his conditional bail in the excise policy case as the SC had barred him from signing documents and going to the CM’s office. “When Kejriwal spoke about resigning, it was a confession of crime by him. He accepted that the charges levelled against him were such that he could not continue as the CM,” the saffron party leader said. — TNS Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 15 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the ruling JMM-led coalition in Jharkhand of encouraging Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltration for vote bank politics. Touching upon the issue of infiltration for the first time since former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina took refuge in India last month, the PM said infiltration from the neighbouring country was altering the demographic landscape of Santhal Parganas and Kolhan regions of Jharkhand. “Bangladeshi and Tribune News Service SAINI BJP’S CM FACE: HARYANA UNIT CHIEF Reacting to Vij’s statement, BJP state chief Mohan Lal Badoli said, “He has every right to stake a claim to any post, but Nayab Singh Saini is the party's CM face.” An announcement in this regard was made by Home Minister Amit Shah at a rally in Panchkula recently. INSIDE and fate of Haryana.” Vij’s decision to throw his hat in the ring for the CM’s post boosted the morale of his supporters. Soon after the former Home Minister made the announcement, his supporters raised slogans in his favour. He was among the frontrunners for the post of CM even in 2014 when the BJP came to power. Speaking to The Tribune, Vij said, “I have never asked for any post in the past. Even today, I have expressed the THE TRIBUNE ANALYSIS Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service NewDelhi, September 15 A sense of deja vu gripped national political circles on Sunday as Arvind Kejriwal made the shock announcement of quitting as Chief Minister within 48 hours. This is not his first gamble. He first rolled the dice on February 14, 2014, barely 49 days after assuming charge as the Delhi CM for the first time on December 28, 2013. But those were different times. Kejriwal, the product of activist Anna Hazare’s 2011 anti-corruption movement, was riding a moral wave when he quit CM-ship citing bulldozing of the Jan Lokpal Bill by both the Congress (which was supporting his government in Delhi) and opposition BJP . A decade later, scenarios have changed. Kejriwal, then an anti-graft crusader, is today battling graft accusations along with top advisers, including exDeputy CM Manish Sisodia. Though both are out on bail, they face the task of reclaiming the moral high that once placed AAP on a pedestal different from other parties. With the BJP making corruption its principal plank against Kejriwal in the run-up to Delhi elections, the CM needed an out-of-the-box move that he made on Sun- day with the announcement of resignation from the post. Altered scenarios notwithstanding, neutral observers feel the resignation was the wisest call Kejriwal could have taken in the given circumstances when the Supreme Court had clipped all his wings as the CM. “What was the gain for Arvind Kejriwal to remain only a titular CM of Delhi? Under the circumstances, he has decided wisely,” said continued on page 8 VOTE BANK POLITICS ❝ Illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country gained huge influence… The JMM-led Jharkhand Government encouraging infiltration for vote bank politics. Narendra Modi, PM Rohingya infiltrators have become a major threat to Santhal Parganas and Kolhan regions. The demography of these regions is changing fast. The tribal population is on the decline. The infiltrators are establishing control of the panchayat sys- tem, grabbing land, indulging in atrocities on daughters of the state. Every Jharkhand resident is feeling unsafe,” the PM said, while addressing a BJP rally in Jamshedpur. The tirade against “infiltration from Bangladesh” is expected to become shriller in the coming days as the Assembly elections in Jharkhand are round the corner and the BJP is keen on making the most of the locals’ fear of influx from Bangladesh. The PM termed the JMM, RJD and the Congress as the “biggest enemies of Jharkhand”, asserting that these continued on page 8 CM Nayab Saini with party leader Ram Bilas Sharma in Mahendragarh. Nomination withdrawal ends today, BJP & Cong go all out to woo rebels Geetanjali Gayatri Tribune News Service Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. PTI Chandigarh, September 15 Ahead of the last date for withdrawal of nominations tomorrow, the BJP and the Congress are going all out to woo the rebels. Senior leaders have been assigned the onerous task of not only getting the rebels back into the party fold but also getting them to support the official party candidates. While the state BJP top brass, including CM Nayab Singh Saini, fanned out across Haryana to convince the rebels to withdraw their nominations, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his MP son Deepender Hooda also reached out to the dissenters. They are learnt to have met with some success though most rebels remained noncommital today, stating that they would consult their workers before taking a final call. Saini’s first stop was at Mahendragarh rebel and senior leader Ram Bilas Sharma’s residence even though Sharma had already announced that he would withdraw his nomination against the party candidate a day after filing his papers. The CM also met former Narnaul municipal council chief and BJP Mahila Morcha district president Bharti Saini. After the meeting, Bharti said a workers’ meeting would be held to decide on the withdrawal though the talks were “very positive”. Party coin charge Biplab Dev was slated to call on Randhir Kapriwas (Rewari), Santosh Yadav (Ateli) continued on page 8 5 of family lynched in Despite fracture, gritty Neeraj seals 2nd spot in Brussels C’garh over ‘witchcraft’ MISSES CROWN BY 1 CM Sukma, September 15 Five members of a family, including two couples, were allegedly beaten to death on suspicion of practising witchcraft in a village in Chhattisgarh’s tribal Sukma district on Sunday, the police said. Five persons, all from the same village, had been arrested and there might be more arrests, he said. The incident took place at Itkal village under Konta police station limits and the victims were identified as Mausam Kanna (34), his wife Mausam Biri, Mausam Buchcha (34), Infant among 4 of family were killed on Sept 12 his wife Mausam Arjo (32), and another woman Karka Lachhi (43), SSP Kiran Chavan said. The accused brutally attacked the victims with sticks leading to their death on the spot, he said. In a similar incident on September 12, four members of a family, including an infant boy, were allegedly killed on the suspicion of black magic in BalodabazarBhatapara district. — PTI Brussels, September 15 Double Olympic medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Sunday revealed he took part in the Diamond League season finale despite a fracture in his non-throwing left hand, which he sustained during a training session. On Saturday, Chopra came agonisingly close to winning the Diamond League crown before missing it by 1 cm to finish as runner-up for the second consecutive year with a throw of 87.86m. “On Monday, I injured myself in practice and X-rays showed that I had fractured the fourth metacarpal of my left hand. It was another ■ Chopra sustained a fracture in his left hand during practice for Diamond League final in Brussels ■ Though he throws spear with his right hand, Chopra falls down with his left palm touching the ground after releasing the spear ■ He missed the first spot by 1 cm to finish as runner-up for the second consecutive year with a throw of 87.86m painful challenge for me. But with the help of my team, I was able to participate in Brussels,” the 26-year-old said on his social media handle. Metacarpals, also known as palm bones, are the bones that lie between the fingers and the wrist in a human hand. There are five metacarpals in each hand, with each bone being associated with a specific finger. Chopra, who throws with Today’s issue is of 16 pages, including four-page Jalandhar Tribune. c m y b desire of the people of Haryana as they want me to at least stake my claim to the post. The decision is to be taken by the high command. I have been doing my job for the public and the party.” Vij, famous for holding janata darbars, was considered one of the most powerful ministers in the Khattar government, but his troubled relations with the former CM made headlines many a time. Vij was not continued on page 8 Mahapanchayat in Jind, cops seal Punjab border 2014 rerun, but will AAP chief’s gamble pay off? Modi: JMM encouraging B’desh infiltrators, Rohingya for power Shubhadeep Choudhury Nitish Sharma his right hand, was beaten for the gold by two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who sent his spear to 87.87m in his first attempt. This was Chopra’s second consecutive Diamond League runner-up finish after winning the crown in 2022. He normally falls down with his left palm touching the ground in the follow through after releasing the spear. On Saturday, in all his six attempts, Chopra avoided falling down and touching the ground with his left palm. He had been struggling with his fitness this year and is expected to meet a doctor soon to rectify a groin injury that has affected him all season and came in the way of his quest to hit the elusive 90m mark. Chopra, who added a silver to his Olympic medal tally in Paris, thus ended his season on a high. — PTI KAITHAL: The police sealed the border with Punjab at Tatiana and Sangatpura checkpoints to prevent Punjab farmers from entering the state to attend a mahapanchayat held in Uchana, Jind, on Sunday. There was a heavy deployment of police, including paramilitary forces, in the area to maintain law and order. Farmer unions protesting at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders had called the mahapanchayat on Sunday to press for their demands. Though the roads were opened in the evening, farmers expressed resentment over the development accusing the BJP of trying to scuttle their event. INSIDE Net suspended across Assam for three-hour exam Guwahati, September 15 The Assam Direct Recruitment Examination to fill posts of Group III employees was held on Sunday amid tight security and suspension of internet connectivity for three and a half hours across the state, an official said. The government had taken elaborate measures to ensure a fair selection of candidates as the state has been rocked by several recruitment scams over the past several years. STATE ROCKED BY SEVERAL JOB SCAMS IN RECENT YEARS There was no report of any untoward incident from any of the 2,305 centres in the state. After the exams ended, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the first ADRE exam had concluded peacefully. “My deepest gratitude to all the officers and staff who have successfully completed this monumental task without any issue,” Sarma posted on X. Candidates were seen queuing up before the examination centres since early morning with gates scheduled to open from 10 am. Internet services were suspended from 10 am to 1.30 pm. Heavy deployment of security forces was also seen outside exam centres. — PTI