DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE Construction of National Highways at an unprecedented pace Modi Sarkar ki G Guarantee Hamara Sankalp Accused in killing of journalist linked to 34 Maharashtra land deals at contested project site Shashikant Warishe, 48, was writing against RRPCL, a Central refinery project in Ratnagiri; accused was paid by project company for ‘transport services’ VALLABH OZARKAR PMpartingshotin17thLokSabhaatCong: ‘It’sdividingcountryonnorth-southlines’ ‘If state takes one step, Centre will take two... cooperative federalism’ VIKAS PATHAK NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 7 BUSINESS AS USUAL Warishe (below)flagged concerns related to environment; hismother ShevantiandsonYash inRatnagiri. Vallabh Ozarkar with Paris-based consortium Forbidden Stories, has revealed. Theprojectisbeingexecuted by Ratnagiri Refinery Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL), a company set up in 2017, and jointly owned by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation, BPCL Ltd CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Scan for more information REPLY TO RAJYA SABHA DEBATE ON PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS ON THE day Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Cabinet colleagues protested in NewDelhiagainsttheallegedinjustice in devolution of taxes to the southern states, Prime MinisterNarendraModiaccused the Congress of trying to divide thecountryonnorth-southlines. RATNAGIRI, MUMBAI, FEB 7 Government of India Viksit Bharat In last 10 years, National Highway network expanded from 91 thousand kms to 1 lakh 46 thousand kms AN EXPRESS INVESTIGATION IN COLLABORATION WITH FORBIDDEN STORIES TODAY MARKS one full year since journalist Shashikant Warishe,48,waskilled,allegedly for opposing a Central refinery project in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district and flagging environmental concerns. The prime accused, Pandharinath Amberkar,isinjailfacingcharges includingthatof murderanddestroying evidence. He is alleged to have rammed Warishe’s scooter with his SUV and run him over. Not only did Amberkar threaten Warishe with death, as the chargesheet filed by the RatnagiriPolicestates,heandhis network of family members were involved in a slew of land transactions in and around villages where the project is proposed, an investigation by The Indian Express in collaboration `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 cbc 22201/13/0255/2324 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 26 PAGES BY UNNY Replying to the debate in Rajya Sabha on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, Modi said, “The Congress that in its greed for power throttled (democracy), the Congress that dismissed elected governments,theCongressthatimprisoned democracy, which tried to shut down newspapers, and which tried to break the country with various narratives, is trying CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 GOVT & POLITICS Cong counters: Heap of lies, Govt betrayed people EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 7 AS KARNATAKA GOVT PROTESTS, FM HITS BACK: CONG WITH SEPARATISTS PAGE 9 HOURS AFTER Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the Parliamentgrandstagetolaunch another scathing criticism of the Congress, the main Opposition party hit back, accusing him of spreading lies and resorting to “cursing” it to hide his gover- CM Yogi raises Kashi, Mathura: After Ayodhya, Nandi and Krishna can’t wait MAULSHREE SETH LUCKNOW, FEBRUARY 7 IN HIS first remarks on the start of puja in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque complex within hours of it being allowed by the Varanasi district court on January 31, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said We asked for only three places: CM in House. PTI Wednesday that after watching the (January 22) celebrations in Ayodhya, “Nandi Baba did not wait” and “got the barricading removed at night”. He said now even Lord Krishna is not ready to wait — alluding to the Krishna Janmabhoomi-ShahiIdgahmosquedispute in Mathura — and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 nance failures. In his speeches in Lok Sabha Monday and Rajya Sabha Wednesday, Modi singled out the Congress, dipping into history and framing the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as a battle between the BJP and the Congress, their governance models and records. Hittingback,seniorCongress CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 INSIDE COURT SUMMONS KEJRIWAL ON FEBRUARY 17 PAGE 4 UTTARAKHAND ASSEMBLY PASSES UCC BILL PAGE 10 PAKISTAN VOTES TODAY, 30 KILLED IN TWIN BLASTS PAGE 16