TUESDAY 26 NOVEMBER, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard PA K I S TA N 6,000 KG METH SEIZED OFF ANDAMAN COAST IN ‘BIGGEST HAUL’ IMRAN SUPPORTERS CLASH WITH POLICE The Coast Guard seized a fishing vessel carrying 6,000 kg of Methamphetamine near Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an official said on Monday A cop was killed and 70 injured when former PM’s supporters clashed with security personnel deployed to prevent protesters from reaching Islamabad. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 Call taken on BJP leading new MahaYuti govt Name of the chief minister to be announced in Mumbai; Shinde camp keeps up pressure MUKESH RANJAN AND SUDHIR S U R YA W A N S H I @ New Delhi/ Mumbai THE leadership jigsaw of the new Maharashtra government remained unsolved on Monday though sources said the call on the BJP leading it had been made. The name of the new chief minister will be announced in Mumbai, they said. BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis continued to lead the race but incumbent Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was in no mood to yield. Both along with the third element in the MahaYuti trinity, breakaway NCP’s Ajit Pawar, flew into Delhi to attend the marriage reception of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter. While sources said no formal meeting of the trio has been scheduled with Union home minister Amit Shah, there was speculation that it could happen late on Monday night. With the tenure of the last assembly ending, Shinde is expected to submit his resignation on Tuesday and continue as caretaker CM till the final decision is taken. Though Ajit tried to tilt the scales in favour of Fadnavis, Shinde remained adamant. For, Shinde’s demotion as deputy CM SORENS IN CITY TO INVITE MODI, RAHUL ON OATH CEREMONY NSUI wins top DUSU post after 7 years I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi THE Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) staged a significant comeback in the Delhi University student union election after seven years, clinching the president and joint secretary positions. N S U I ’s Ro n a k K h at r i emerged victorious in the presidential race, defeating BJPbacked ABVP Rishabh Chaudhary by over 1,300 votes. Khatri got 20,207 votes while Chaudhary garnered 18,864 votes. According to the final results, Ronak Khatri secured the president’s post with 20,207 votes out of 50,689 votes, while Chaudhary came in second with 18,868 votes. Bhanu Pratap Singh won the vice-presidential position by getting 24,166 votes from 50,918 votes, while Yash Nandal bagged 15,404 votes. For the post of secretary Mi, travinda Karanwal won with 16,703 votes out of 50,874, while Namrata Jeph came second with 15,236 votes. In the race for joint secretary, Lokesh Chaudhary claimed victory with 21,975 votes out of 50,977, while Aman Kapasiya followed with 15,249 votes. After the results, Khatri said, “The politics of performance has prevailed in DU. Those who fought the election on false promises have lost. As a law student, I want to assure all the students that we will stand with them.” P3 Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar would give the Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray who was decimated in the assembly polls, a breathing space to revive itself. “Shinde should at least be made CM for the first 2.5 years of the new tenure. The next half can go to Fadnavis. After the big defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, Shinde took several cabinet decisions, including the Ladli Bahena scheme and changed the entire political landscape of the state. Therefore, the BJP should seriously consider him again as CM for at least the first half of the tenure. Else, it will send a wrong message to the allies,” said a close aide of the CM. On the other hand, the RSS and the state BJP are pitching for Fadnavis as CM, with one foot soldier threatening mass self immolation if it is decided otherwise. Sources said that Fadnavis had earlier held a meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur. Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana Soren leave for Delhi to invite PM Modi, LoP Rahul Gandhi and other dignitaries for oathtaking ceremony in Ranchi on November 28 | P8  NEW DELHI  J8.00 `18,000 cr PAGES 12  SC trashes petitions against inclusion of ‘secular’, ‘socialist’ to the Preamble S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a batch of pleas challenging the 1976 amendment to the Constitution, which added the terms ‘socialist’, ‘secular’ and ‘integrity’ to its Preamble. A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar had on November 22 reserved its verdict on the pleas filed by politician Subramanian Swamy and advocate Ashwini Updhayay . “We do not find any legitimate cause or justification for challenging this Constitutional amendment after nearly 44 years,” the bench said. Disposing of the pleas, the court said the writ petitions did not need further deliberation and adjudication. “The amending power of Parliament over the Constitution extends to Preamble,” the CJI said. “This stems from the fact that these terms have achieved widespread acceptance, with their mean- ings understood by ‘We, the people of India’ without any semblance of doubt. The additions to the Preamble have not restricted or impeded legislations or policies pursued by elected governments.” Wondering why the challenge was made after over 44 years, the court said terms like socialist and secular were integral to the Preamble. “While it is true that the Constituent Assembly had not agreed to include the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble, the Constitution is a living document... with power to amend,” it said. Manipur, Adani row paralyse Parliament T’gana declines `100 crore from Adani Foundation P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi THE winter session of Parliament was off to a stormy start on Monday with both Houses adjourned till Wednesday amid protests by the Opposition demanding discussions on Gautam Adani’s US indictment and the Manipur situation. Opposition members of Parliament including K C Venugopal, Manickam Tagore and Manish Tewari moved a motion in the Lok Sabha seeking suspension of the day’s listed business to hold a discussion on Adani indictment. But the Speaker declined, leading to protests and adjournment. In Rajya Sabha, chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected seven notices served under Rule 267, seeking a discussion on the billionaire’s indictment. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed dismay over the Chair in both Houses disallowing the opposition to raise the Adani issue under Rule 267 and said the government should “let the truth come out” as the matter is affecting the country’s image. “Rule 267 is made only to raise such important issues. Else, that rule should not have B K A R T H E E K @ Hyderabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the media on the first day of the winter session of Parliament in New Delhi on Monday | PTI OPPN TRYING TO CONTROL PARLIAMENT: MODI Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Opposition on the issue of disruptions, saying those rejected by people “80-90 times” were trying to control Parliament by resorting to hooliganism. “Certain individuals are trying to control Parliament for their own political gains...” | P7 been there. We want to be allowed to raise this issue under this rule,” he said. Kharge also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of spoiling the country’s image by “helping” some key businessmen get contracts abroad, and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the allegations against the Adani Group. The BJP slammed the Opposition saying it was stalling Parliament proceedings in retalia- t i o n fo r t h e i r d e f e at i n Maharashtra elections. During a meeting of the business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla asked political parties to avoid a ruckus in the House in the name of protests. He also flagged the issue of disruptions and urged Opposition leaders to convey their dissent in a constructive manner. The winter session of Parliament, which began on Monday, will run till December 16. TELANGANA will not accept `100 crore donation offered by the Adani Foundation for the Young India Skills University, a skill development university being set up by the state government, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said on Monday amid controversy over billionaire Gautam Adani’s indictment in the US on bribery charges. “The Adani Foundation came forward with a proposal to donate `100 crore. In light of the recent controversies, the state government is not ready to accept the `100 crore donation,” the chief minister said at a press conference. “We do not want the skills university, started with a noble intention, to become controversial,” he said. His statement comes amid demands by the Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party that the government cancel Adani Group’s investment proposals in the state. CONSIDER REOPENING SCHOOLS, BUT GRAP-IV CURBS TO STAY: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday asked the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the nationa l c ap i t a l re g i o n a n d adjoining areas to consider restarting physical classes in schools and colleges, noting that many students lacked mid-day meals and infrastructure to attend online classes. A bench of justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said many students do not have air purifiers at home, therefore there being APPROXIMATE VALUE OF THE CONTRABAND BASED ON ESTIMATES FROM PAST SEIZURES no difference between children at home and those attending schools. The court, however, refused to relax the anti-pollution GRAP-4 restrictions in DelhiNCR and said unless it was satisfied that there was a consistent decrease in AQI levels, it couldnot order curbs below GRAP-3 or GRAP-4. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by noted environmentalist, MC Mehta, seeking appropriate directions and orders in controlling pollution. The apex court had Friday in its order directed the Delhi government and police to form check points at all 113 entry points to Delhi to monitor the entry of trucks in the national capital. Vigil is maintained primarily at 13 major entry points, keeping in view the increasing level of pollution. “It is apparent that the authorities mentioned in GRAP-IV clauses 1, 2 and 3 have made no earnest effort to implement action... This is a serious lapse on the part of authorities. We, therefore, direct the commission to immediately initiate action under CAQM Act 2021,” the bench said. P4 ANTI-ROPEWAY AGITATION People protesting against a proposed ropeway project along the trek route to the Vaishno Devi shrine clash with police in Reasi district of J&K on Monday | PTI EXPRESS READ AAP widens pension reach, BJP counters Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced that an additional 80,000 people are eligible for old-age pensions, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 5.3 lakh. Hours after the move, BJP countered it with a promise of comprehensive pension coverage on the demand for all elderly people if voted to power. | P3 Gehlot OSD held in phone-tapping case, granted bail UJWAL JALALI & RAJESH ASNANI @ New Delhi/Jaipur LOKESH Sharma, an aide of former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, was arrested on Monday by Delhi Police, but was released within a few hours on bail in a phone-tap case. On November 14, Sharma withdrew a petition he had filed in Delhi High Court seeking relief from arrest and transferring the case to Rajasthan. The HC lifted the stay on arrest. The phone-tapping case dates back to July 2020, during the rebellion led by Congress leader Sachin Pilot. Sharma allegedly leaked audio recordings in which BJP leaders were purportedly heard “conspiring to buy” Congress MLAs to topple the Gehlot-led government. According to Sharma, the recordings were sourced from social media, but the BJP claimed the tapes were part of an illegal phone-tapping operation directed by then CM Gehlot who claimed that Pilot’s revolt was a part of the BJP conspiracy to topple his government. In March 2021, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat lodged a complaint with Delhi Police, accusing Sharma and senior officers of illegal phone tapping. Recent developments suggest that Sharma could turn into a government witness, a move that may grant him relief. If he does, the case could implicate several high-profile individuals, including Gehlot. DOMINATING TIME Test of character Down Under: India celebrate happy Perth-day G O M E S H S @ Chennai Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah leads from the front at Perth | AFP THE Aussies are not invincible after all. In cricketing parlance, the first Test is done and dusted and India would be heading into the second with heads held high, very high. The beauty, however, was the manner in which the victory was enacted on the drop-in pitch of the Optus Stadium in Perth where Australia hadn’t lost a Test until now. This definitely has the potential to be part of cricketing folklore. The 295-run win in the first Test on Monday was a clear indication of India’s intent this summer Down Under. After a hammering they got against New Zealand at home — a humiliating 0-3 whitewash — this was the perfect antidote. Bowled out for 150 runs on the first day all seemed ruined. But , they came back, through some incisive bowling led by Jasprit Bumrah, who is equally lethal with the red as with the white ball. A little assistance from the pitch, he reaped through the top order like a scythe; the home side crumbled to never rise again. Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana chipped in. Like they say, Monday was just like going through the motions. Set a 522-run target, Aussies had already lost three wickets and India had Bumrah — the name batters across the globe fear. What would seem even more welcoming would be the steady batting of the top order. Especially after the jolt they got ahead of the first Test. Rohit Sharma was out, Shubman Gill injured and the side had two debutants and two batters in the top six with a cumulative experience of four Tests. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and Bumrah were under pres- sure. Inspired by the bowlers, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Nitish Reddy stepped up and bludgeoned the Aussie bowlers. This victory is monumental not just for the lead or the World Test Championship, but also because Indian cricket needed it. They also showed why the two series wins earlier were no fluke. “I was trying to put myself in that tough scenario to make the job a bit easier for the new guys coming in. It’s not very easy in the first tour to take a lot of responsibility,” Bumrah said. P11 Over to Adelaide now. AT 13, VAIBHAV BECOMES IPL’s YOUNGEST PLAYER Bihar’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest-ever player to be signed by an IPL franchise at 13 years as Rajasthan Royals bought the prodigy for `1.10 crore in the mega auction. His base price was Rs. 30 lakh and Delhi Capitals made the opening bid. RR entered the fray at ` 35 lakh and eventually got the better of DC to get the player on board. Suryavanshi made his T20 debut for Bihar in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Rajasthan on Saturday.