23082025-TT-01.qxd 8/22/2025 11:44 PM 13 JAKHAR HELD ON WAY TO AWARENESS CAMP PUNJAB /thetribunechd Page 1 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 232 | 22 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH OMAR: WILL STRUGGLE FOR STATEHOOD, IF NEEDED J&K saturday | 23 august 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Excluded Bihar voters can submit online claims with Aadhaar or 11 other IDs: SC Slams political parties, asks why only two claims despite 1.68 lakh booth-level officers Satya Prakash Tribune News Service PM Narendra Modi, Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and CM Nitish Kumar in Gayaji on Friday. PTI Practice of running govts from jail must stop: Modi Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 22 Upping the ante on a new government Bill that seeks to remove tainted Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and ministers from office, PM Narendra Modi on Friday said when a peon could be suspended if jailed for 50 hours, why should top politicians be spared. He said the practice of people in seats of power running governments from jail and signing files from behind bars should be stopped. Addressing a public rally in election-bound Gayaji in Bihar, Modi slammed the opposition Congress and the RJD for resisting the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, “fearing loss of their political future”. He said, “Those out on bail are crying hoarse against the new provision.” “If the fight against corruption is to reach its goal, no one can be above the law. Today, if a public servant is detained for 50 hours, he is deemed to be suspended. A driver, a clerk, a peon has his life destroyed in hours but if a CM, minister or the PM do the same, they can Says those out on bail crying foul over new Bill NO ONE ABOVE LAW If a public servant is detained for 50 hours, he is deemed to be suspended, but if a CM, minister or the PM do the same, they can enjoy the fruits of power from jail. How can this be allowed? Narendra Modi, PM ❝ enjoy the fruits of power from jail. How can this be allowed,” the PM asked after inaugurating projects worth Rs 12,000 crore in Gayaji. In a veiled jibe at former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Modi said the country saw some time ago how files were being signed from jail and directions issued. “The Constitution expects elected representatives to be honest and transparent. We can’t see constitutional morality being shredded like this. That is why the NDA government has brought an anti-corruption law covering the PM, CMs and ministers. Once it is enacted, an arrested minister must secure bail in 30 days failing which he must vacate office on the 31st day,” the PM said, questioning the Opposition’s resistance to a “public welfare move”. Modi said in the RJD and the Congress, “someone is out on bail, someone is embroiled in the job scam in the Railways. “Those out on bail are opposing this law. They feel if they are jailed, their dreams will be shattered. And this is why they are abusing Modi day and night,” said the PM, adding that BR Ambedkar would have never thought powerhungry people would stick to chair even after being jailed. He said, “The corrupt will now have to go to jail and also leave their chair.” The PM, flanked by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and other leaders, also slammed the Congress-RJD combine for opposing the Election Commission’s special intensive revision of electoral rolls, pledging to “expel every infiltrator from India”. He recalled the Independence continued on page 6 New Delhi, August 22 The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Election Commission to accept online applications, supported by requisite documents or an Aadhaar card number, from those excluded from the draft electoral rolls during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar. A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi clarified that the physical submission of forms or objections was not necessary, saying any of the 11 documents mentioned in the Election Commission’s notification or an Aadhaar card number could be submitted with inclusion applications. The Bench added that wherever physical forms were submitted, booth-level officers must acknowledge them. The court also asked political parties to assist people excluded from the draft electoral rolls. Hearing petitions challenging the EC’s June 24 notification on the SIR, the Bench expressed surprise that despite Bihar having over 1.68 lakh booth-level agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties, the EC reported that only two objections had been filed. “We are surprised at the inaction of political parties. After appointing BLAs, what PANEL EXPOSED: CONG Welcoming the SC order, the Congress said the EC “stands exposed and discredited”. Senior leader KC Venugopal said, “We hope the order will force the EC to stop its attempts to steal vote and evade accountability.” Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “The SC has laid down guardrails to make the revision more inclusive by including political parties in the process.” are they doing? Why this distance between political workers and the local people?” it wondered even as petitioners complained that BLAs were not being permitted to submit their objections. The Bench issued notices to 12 registered political parties, formally making them parties to the case. It directed these recognised parties to issue specific instructions to their BLAs to assist voters, except those deceased, in submitting the requisite form and documents to get their names reinstated on the voters’ list. The court asked the political parties to file status reports on the claim forms they facilitated and posted the matter for further hearing on September 8. Poll panel’s counsel Rakesh Dwivedi said the EC had complied with the court’s order “in letter and spirit” and that any voter wrongly excluded could apply for re-inclusion and correction with supporting documents. He said it was the duty of political parties to aid the EC. “There are 1.6 lakh BLAs and if each verifies 10 claims, it should be over in 5-6 days… Repose some trust on the EC,” Dwivedi said, seeking more time before any further directions were issued. Petitioners’ counsels, including Kapil Sibal, AM Singhvi and Prashant Bhushan, argued that many people were unaware of the process. They said the EC was asking excluded people to file Form 6 for a fresh entry with a declaration and Aadhaar, creating difficulties for migrant workers. No more work visas for truckers in US Post-scrutiny, it’s contest between NDA, Oppn for V-P Move after wrong U-turn by Indian driver leaves 3 dead in Florida New Delhi, August 22 The stage is set for a direct contest between ruling NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan and joint opposition candidate B Sudarshan Reddy for the September 9 vice-presidential election, in what is being described as a “south versus south” battle as both hail from southern India. After a scrutiny of the nominations filed for the vice-presidential poll, all four sets of nomination papers of both the candidates were found to be in order, the office of the returning officer for the election said. The Rajya Sabha secretary general is the returning officer for the election. While Radhakrishnan is a BJP veteran from Tamil Nadu and the Governor of Maharashtra currently, Reddy is a former Supreme Court judge who hails from Telangana. — PTI Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 22 The US has stopped issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers with immediate effect, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday. The move came after a truck driver from India was charged with killing three persons on a highway in Florida while allegedly making an illegal U-turn. The Security breach, teen held scaling Parliament wall NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old youth described by officials as “mentally incoherent” was apprehended while attempting to scale the boundary wall of Parliament early Friday morning. The incident took place around 5.50 am when the suspect, identified as Ram Kumar Bind from Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi district, was spotted near the wall and promptly intercepted by personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force and the Delhi Police. The breach comes just a day after both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die following a stormy monsoon session. INSIDE NRI industrialist Lord Swaraj Paul dies at 94 in London NEW DELHI: Lord Swraj Paul, the renowned Indian-born British industrialist and member of the House of Lords, passed away in London at 94. Born in Jalandhar in 1931, Lord Paul relocated to the UK in the 1960s. He founded the Caparo Group in 1968 and transformed it into a global steel and engineering conglomerate. A pivotal figure in business and philanthropy, he was a champion of Indo-British relations. The loss of his daughter inspired the creation of a foundation, which has since donated millions for child welfare. INSIDE c m y b driver, Harjinder Singh, allegedly entered the US illegally from Mexico and failed an English examination after the crash, according to reports by news agencies. “The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on the US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers. Effective immediately, we are pausing issuance of all worker visas for commercial truck drivers,” Rubio posted on X. The case has gathered wide attention, with the Florida Lieutenant Governor flying to California alongside immigration agents to extradite Harjinder personally. The crash has taken political dimension in the US as Harjinder received his commercial licence and lived in California, which is run by the rival Democratic Party and opposes President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants. The Trump administration has attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom for issuing a licence to Harjinder. Newsom’s office responded that the federal government under Trump had issued Harjinder his work permit, and that California cooperated in extraditing him.