eye THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE The Theatre Wallah AHMEDABAD,LATECITY MAY19,2024 A new biography of Ebrahim Alkazi offers an intimate look 16+4PAGES,`6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA P7 FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT BIBHAV HELD WHILE BAIL PLEA BEING HEARD His aide held for assault, Kejriwal says INTERVIEW will march to BJP headquarters today THE EXPRESS BJP PRESIDENT PoK will be in India within 6 months of Modi as PM again: Yogi UP CM Yogi Adityanath with BJP's LS candidate Ujjwal Nikam, in Mumbai. PTI VALLABH OZARKAR MUMBAI, MAY 18 UTTAR PRADESH Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Saturday that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)willbeapartofIndiawithin sixmonthsofNarendraModibecoming “Prime Minister for the third time after the elections”. Addressing an election rally in Vasai in Palghar district of Maharashtra, Adityanath said, “Wewillnotworshipourenemy if they attack us. If someone kills our people, we will not worship them but give them an answer theydeserve.Now,ithasbecome difficultforPakistantosavePoK.” “Once Modi Ji becomes PrimeMinisterforthethirdtime after the elections, you will see CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Other AAP leaders will be held soon, says CM; party steps up attack on Maliwal PM attacks AAP, Cong: Medical report says Maliwal has bruises on cheek, thigh PM Narendra Modi with Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva and party’s LS candidate Manoj Tiwari in Delhi. Tashi Tobgyal NIRBHAY THAKUR & ANKITA UPADHYAY E EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, MAY 18 NEW DELHI, MAY 18 TWO DAYS after he was booked on the charge of assaulting AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at the Chief Minister’s residence, Bibhav Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal’s aide,wasarrestedbyDelhiPolice Saturday afternoon while his plea for anticipatory bail plea wasbeingheardattheTisHazari Courts. Informed about Bibhav’s arrest, Additional Sessions Judge E X P L A I NE D ‘THIS ELECTION, BJP WILL BREAK CERTAIN MYTHS THAT WILL SURPRISE ALL’ J P NADDA Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar at the Tis Hazari court complex on Saturday. Sushil Anuj Tyagi said the plea had become infructuous. Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Kumar Srivastava informed the court via video conference that Bibhav was arrested at 4:15 pm. He had been detained from theChief Minister’sresidencefor questioning around noon. Late in the evening, Bibhav was produced before the court CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SHORTLY AFTER his aide Bibhav Kumarwasarrestedforallegedly assaulting AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at the CM residence on May 13, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Saturday that he and AAP senior leaders, MPs and MLAs would court arrestoutsidetheBJPheadquarters in New Delhi on Sunday. Claiming that his party leaderswerebeingtargeted,Kejriwal, AAP in uncharted ● territory WITH ED naming AAP as accused in the PMLA case, there can be larger implications — from holding “every person” of the party involved in decision-making liable, attachment of property to larger issues of a level playing field in a democracy. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DAYS AFTER RECORD SRINAGAR TURNOUT Ex-sarpanch gunned down, Jaipur couple shot at in Valley NAVEED IQBAL SRINAGAR, MAY 18 ON THEdaycampaigning ended for the Lok Sabha polls in Baramulla constituency, militants shot dead a former sarpanch who was with the BJP and injured a couple from Jaipur in separate attacks in south Kashmir. The attacks come days after Srinagar saw the highest polling in almost three decades, at 38%. Traditionally, both Baramulla, which votes on May 20, and ‘CBI, ED should be shut… will propose it to INDIA bloc parties’: Akhilesh adversaries of the BJP. “They are used agar sarkar banaani hai, ya giraani hai (to formgovernments,orbreakgovernments),” Akhilesh said, asking why hadn’t the agencies, for example, investigated “what DEPARTMENTS LIKE the Enfo- went wrong during demonetircement Directorate and CBI are sation”.“Howdidpeopleconvert not needed and should be shut their black money into white?” down, Samajwadi Party chief But would an INDIA governAkhilesh Yadav has said, mentbereadytotakesuch adding that he would proa far-reaching step if it pose the same to the INcame to power? “This is DIA bloc. my proposal and I will put “CBI aur ED band hone DECISION this before the INDIA al2024 chahiye (The CBI and ED liance,” Akhilesh said. should be shut)... If you Speaking to The Indian have cheated, there is the Express while travelling from Income Tax department to deal Lucknow to Amethi and Rae with it. Why do you need the Bareli, the two constituencies CBI? Every state has an Anti- with the highest stakes for the Corruption Department, use it if Congress,theSPchief saidthealneeded,” Akhilesh said in an in- liance between the two parties terview to The Indian Express, will continue even after the Lok adding that the agencies are be- Sabha elections are over, ing used only against political CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Anantnag (now renamed Anantnag-Rajouri), which votes on May 25, have seen even higher voting than the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat. According to the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the couple from Jaipur were targeted in the first attack in Anantnag. “Terrorists fired upon and injured a lady, Farha, resident of Jaipur, and spouse Tabrez at Yannar, Anantnag. Injured evacuated to hospital for treatment,” the police said in a statement. In Shopian district, a former CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 After Kharge’s snub, Adhir says: Can’t welcome one who wants to finish Cong THE NEERJA CHOWDHURY COLUMN PHASE 5 CAMPAIGNING ENDS At an EVM distribution centre in Ladakh as campaigning for the 5th phase of polls ended Saturday. Voting is on May 20. DECISION2024,PAGES8,9 BUNDELKHAND, UTTAR PRADESH Safety net in place, labharthis want more: jobs, exams on time UTTAR PRADESH HARIKISHAN SHARMA JHANSI, MAHOBA, BANDA, CHITRAKOOT, MAY 18 Mallikarjun Kharge; Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. File RAVIK BHATTACHARYA & MANOJ CG KOLKATA, NEW DELHI, MAY 18 HOURS AFTER Congress presidentMallikarjunKhargesaidthe party’s West Bengal unit chief Adhir Chowdhury is “nobody to make decisions” on the alliance with TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Chowdhury said he cannot“welcome”apersonwho “will try to finish the Congress”. The development comes against the backdrop of a statementbyBanerjeethatshewould CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 OVER THE past 10 years, the Narendra Modi government has knit a net of welfare schemes that, at their widest, provide a cushion to around 22 crore families. This “labharthi varg” has paid rich dividends for the BJP in successive elections, prompting Opposition parties to promise and implement their own basket of schemes. In the latest such move, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge promised this week to double the free rations available to the poor to 10 per kg per month if the INDIA bloc was voted to power — thus “bettering” one of the Modi government’s more popular schemes, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan VOTE SHARES % 2019 BANDA JHANSI BJP 46.18 BJP 58.59 SP Jalaun 40.49 SP 32.12 Banda JALAUN HAMIRPUR BJP Jhansi 51.45 BJP 52.76 BSP 37.44 BSP 29.95 Hamirpur Anna Yojana (PMGKY). The Indian Express met beneficiaries of various Central government schemes across a stretch of about400km through UttarPradesh’sBundelkhandregionandfoundacategoricalconsensus on the safety net the schemes provide. At the same time, however, there’s hardly a conversation where the issue of jobs does not come up. Almost asif ajobistheprimary“benefit” the young are waiting for. Incidentally, it was in Bundelkhand in July 2022, soon aftertheUttarPradeshAssembly elections, that PM Modi first denounced “freebies” — as offered by the Opposition — as “revdi culture”. The Bundelkhand region has four parliamentary constituencies — Banda, Jalaun, Jhansi and Hamirpur. All have been held by CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 World is watching how one corrupt person is covering the other Says INDIA bloc out to destroy Delhi with ‘politics of appeasement’ JATIN ANAND NEW DELHI, MAY 18 TAKING A swipe at the AAP and theCongressovercorruptionand blaming the “opportunistic” INDIA bloc for “inciting violence for thesakeof appeasement,endangeringcommunalharmony”duringtheanti-CAAprotestsandthe Northeast Delhi riots, Prime MinisterNarendraModiaskedthe citizens of Delhi to keep in mind the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’ when they go out to vote on May 25. Addressing a public meeting in Ghonda in Northeast Delhi – this was his first campaign rally intheCapital– ModisaidtheINDIA bloc was “bent upon destroying Delhi” with its “appeasement politics” while he was working “24x7 for 2047”. He met refugee families who have been granted Indian citizenshipfollowingnotificationof CAA rules. As many as 25 diplomats from 13 countries including the UK, Australia and Russia were part of the gathering as ‘Observersof IndianDemocracy’. Although he did not name the AAP, Modi attacked its alliancewiththeCongressinDelhi and Haryana. “Earlier, the Congress used to claim credit for exposing the excisescaminpressconferenceafter press conference. Then, at the ordersoftheShahiParivar,theyembraced the same corrupt leader...Dilli, Haryana mein dosti aurPunjabmeinkushti...yehdhong kab tak chalega? Duniya dekh rahi haikikaiseekbhrashtacharidoosre bhrashtachari ko cover de raha hai (InDelhi,Haryana,youarefriends but in Punjab you are wrestling with each other. How long will this hypocrisy last? The world is watchinghowonecorruptperson is covering the other),” he said. Without naming the AAP or its convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Modi attacked the party for “betraying the trust of millions” by emerging as a force against the issue of corruption but now being discovered to be behind “corruption worth crores” which was sending its leaders behind bars. “There was a time when the Congress ruled the country, but nowstrugglestoevencompeteon four (Lok Sabha) seats in Delhi. They cannot field a candidate in the constituency where its Shahi ParivarlivesbutstilltheCongress’s arrogance remains,” he said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 Ready to debate with Modi, but he will not come, says Rahul GAYATHRI MANI NEW DELHI, MAY 18 CONGRESS LEADER Rahul Gandhi on Saturday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a public debate even as he targeted him again over his “links” with “22-25 rich businessmen”. Speaking at his first rally in Delhi ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Rahul made a string of promises — including Rs 1 lakh to unemployed youth, 10-kg ration,besidesRs1 lakh to women in poor households. “Pehli naukri yojana...we will make a list of graduates, postgraduates,diplomaholders...and will give them first right to permanent jobs… They’ll have a year-long job. And the unemployed youth will have Rs 1 lakh in their accounts… Rs 8,000 per month taka tak,” Rahul told the rally at Ramlila Ground in the Chandini Chowk constituency. Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Saturday. Abhinav Saha He also urged the workers of bothCongressandAAP—thetwo parties are jointly contesting the pollsinDelhi—toworktoensure victory in all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital. Holding a copy of the Constitution, Rahul said the Congress and AAP had come together in Delhi “to save the Constitution” from the BJP. “The Constitution of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Mahatma CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Benegal’s Manthan screened at Cannes: ‘Amul model is India’s gift to world’ PAGE 1 ANCHOR ADITI RAJA VADODARA, MAY 18 THE SCREENING of the restored 4K version of the 1976 Smita Patil-starrerShyamBenegalclassic Manthan at Salle Bunuel in the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on Friday marked a milestone not only for the film – based on the milk cooperative movement of Dr Varghese Kurien–butalsoproppedupthe Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation(GCMMF), which markets its products undertheAmulbrand,ontheinternational platform. GCMMF Managing Director Jayen Mehta on Friday walked theredcarpetatCanneswiththe familiesof lateDrKurienandlate Smita Patil, including her son Prateik Babbar, as well as actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah. Speaking to The Indian Express from Cannes, Mehtasaid that though Manthan was visualised to "communicate to the villages" back in 1976 when so- cial dynamics and caste factors posed a challenge in setting up dairy cooperatives led by women, the film continues to holdmuchrelevanceeventoday. "The story continues to be relevant in terms of the fight of farmers to get right to procurement and market versus the private competition. The social dynamics are there today that existed 50 years ago. Butmost of all, it shows the success of a cooperative model, of how it helpedfarmerstocometogether with the right intervention and inputs, providing the tools of development in their hands with- Nirmala Kurien (third from right) with Jayen Mehta (sixth from left) and others at Cannes on Friday. Express out the constant support of the government, private sector or multinational.” “This is the story that people love... The world is sitting up and noticing the magic," he said. Mehta maintained that the strength of the film was that it could convey what were the challenges in setting up a cooperative while also focusing on the opportunity it brought. He said, "In 1975-76, when the idea of the film came up, Operation Flood (initiated by National Dairy Development Board of India) was in its flourishing stage because they were replicating the Amul model across 18 districts. They realised the huge challenges and wonderedhowdoyoucommunicate to the people in the form of a story so that it helps them overcome their differences also... So, Dr Kurien got Shyam Benegal and top notch actors to tell the story.” “Manthan continues to be a part of the induction programmes at Amul and IRMA (Institute of Rural Management, Anand),whichiswhereIsawthe filmin1989forthefirsttime.Itis also part of our village activities and has played a strong role in spreading Operation Flood across the country and getting 2 lakh village societies and 1.75 crore farmers to become part of the dairy cooperative...," he added. Mehta hoped that with the film now going to the urban markets will help Amul leverage the global opportunity in the dairy sector. "The urban audience will know what a classic looks like but it is a good chance for us at the global level to restore the film and showcase it... Amul products are being exported to 50 countries. We have CONTINUEDONPAGE11 Ahmedabad