CMYK INDIAN FEDERALISM CAN ALSO HAVE SOME 'UNCOOPERATIVE' DIMENSION SPOTLIGHT & ISSUES Rs. 3 PATNA MONDAY, 27 JUNE, 2022 PG-12, YEAR—8, ISSUE—213 (RNI NO: BIHENG / 2014 / 59124) IF THERE WAS NO OTT, I WOULDN'T HAVE GOT ANY REACH: PANKAJ TRIPATHI SCREEN & CINEMA Morning India Hopeful of talks with G7 leaders on major issues: PM AGENCIES MUNICH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he was looking forward to "fruitful discussions" with world leaders on topical issues like climate, energy, food security, counter-terrorism, environment, gender equality and democracy as he arrived here to attend the G7 Summit. Prime Minister Modi is attending the G7 summit, to be held on June 26 and 27, following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The summit is being hosted by Germany in its capacity as the chair of G7, a grouping of the world's seven richest nations. "Landed in Munich to participate in the G-7 Summit. I look forward to fruitful discussions with world leaders dur- India's active Covid cases rise to 92,576; 25 more die AGENCIES NEW DELHI: India logged 11,739 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,33,89,973, while the active cases rose to 92,576, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll climbed to 5,24,999 with 25 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am An increase of 797 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload stated. The active cases comprise 0.21 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was 98.58 per cent, the ministry said. An increase of 797 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.59 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 3.25 per cent, according to the ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,27,72,398 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.21 per cent. According to the ministry, 197.08 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID19 vaccination drive. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. ing the Summit," Modi tweeted. On his arrival, the prime minister was warmly greeted by the Indian diaspora. Warm welcome to PM Shri @narendramodi in #Muenchen to attend the @G7 Summit #G7Germany #AmbHarishParvathaneni and Mrs. Nandita Parvathaneni received PM at @MUC_Airport, India's Embassy in Berlin tweeted. The Indian community gave PM @narendramodi a warm and special welcome to #M nchen! the Indian mission said in a tweet. At the invitation of @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz, PM @narendramodi arrives in Germany for the G7 Summit. Besides participating in @G7 discussions on climate, energy, food security, health, gender equality and more, PM will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet. The G7 leaders are expected to focus on the Ukraine crisis that has triggered geopolitical turmoil besides fuelling a global food and energy crisis. "During the sessions of the Summit, I will be exchanging views with the G7 counties, G7 partner countries and guest International Organisations on topical issues such as environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy," Modi said in a statement ahead of his visit. Khalistan ideologue wins AAP's stronghold in Punjab AGENCIES CHANDIGARH: In a setback to AAP, which came to power in Punjab three months ago, the two-time MP and former IPS officer, Simranjit Singh Mann, who has been demanding an independent homeland -- called Khalistan -- on Sunday won the bypoll in the Sangrur parliamentary constituency. This seat, once a stronghold of AAP, will now be represented by Mann after over two decades. As per poll results, Shiromani Akali DalAmritsar (SAD-A) candidate Mann defeated his closest rival Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Gurmail Singh in a neck-and-neck battle by over 6,000 votes, with the former leading in the majority of the rounds, including Muslimdominated Malerkotla Assembly seat. Mann, 77, who unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls in February, won the parliamentary elections from Sangrur in 1999. Mann, has been demanding the opening of borders with Pakistan for traders, is toeing the ideology of Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed during Operation Blue Star that was carried out by Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Friday that Modi will hold bilateral meetings and discussions with the leaders of the G7 and also the guest countries on the sidelines of the G7 summit. Besides India, Germany, the host of the G7 Summit, has also invited Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa as guests for the summit to recognise the democracies of the global south as its partners. Modi said he also looks forward to meeting members of the Indian Diaspora from across Europe, who are contributing immensely to their local economies as well as enriching India's relations with European countries. From Germany, Modi will travel to the United Arab Emirates on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Counting of votes underway in 3 LS, 7 Assembly seats the Indian Army in June 1984 to flush out militants hiding in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. After winning the election, Mann remembered the contribution of Bhindranwale towards the Sikh cause. He gave the credit of his win to those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Sikhs. Mann remembered the contribution of actor-turnedactivist Deep Sidhu, accused of being the key conspirator of the Red Fort violence on the Republic Day last year, and slain singer Sidhu Moosewala, who met him days ahead of his killing on May 29. Just 45.3 per cent voters - 27.1 per cent less than the 2019 elections -- cast their franchise to decide the fate of 16 candidates on June 23. The bypoll for Sangrur was necessitated following the resignation of Bhagwant Mann, who won the Assembly election in February from the Dhuri constituency, and became the Chief Minister. The other key contenders were death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana's foster sister Kamaldeep Kaur, 44, who was in the fray on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ticket, BJP's Kewal Dhillon, 72, and Dalvir Singh Goldy, 40, of the Congress. Both Dhillon and Goldy are former legislators. Simranjit Mann has declared Rs 8.37 crore assets, including Rs 35.38 moveable and Rs 8.02 immovable. His wife's assets stand at Rs 4.88 crore. The bypoll is the first major electoral battle after the AAP's resounding victory in the state Assembly polls. Bhagwant Mann had won his first election as Sangrur MP in 2014 with a record margin of over 2.10 lakh votes defeating SAD candidate Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. In 2019 Bhagwant Mann was the lone AAP MP in Parliament and he had defeated the then Congress candidate Kewal Singh Dhillon by more than 1.1 lakh votes. NEW DELHI: The counting of votes was underway on Sunday in three Lok Sabha and seven Assembly constituencies spread in different states where bypolls were held on June 23. Lok Sabha bypolls were held in two seats of Uttar Pradesh -- Rampur and Azamgarh -- and one seat of Punjab. Initial trends show that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was leading in Sangrur and the Samajwadi Party (SP) was ahead in Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats at 10 a.m. The BJP was trailing in the Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency in Delhi. The counting of votes stated at 8 a.m. under multi-layer security and postal ballots were counted first. The bypolls in two Lok Sabha of Uttar Pradesh were necessitated after the resignations of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and party leader Azam Khan from Azamgarh and Rampur constituency respectively after being elected to state Assembly earlier this year. In Sangrur, the bypoll was necessitated following the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. While Lodhi secured 3,67,397 votes (51.96 per cent), SP's Raja got 3,25,205 votes (46 per cent), the Election Commission (EC) said. Lodhi defeated Raja, who is considered close to SP leader Mohd Azam Khan. Khan had won from the constituency in 2019. "This is a victory of the people of Rampur," Lodhi said, adding that he would now work as their 'chowkidar'. Meanwhile, Azam Khan alleged misuse of official machinery in the polls and challenged that he would leave politics if any international agency conducts the polls and his party candidate gets defeated. He also said that defeat of Raja is the defeat of democracy. "Let elections be conducted honestly. I say the international court of justice should come and conduct elections here. If my candidate gets defeated then, I will leave politics," he told reporters. In Azamgarh, where a triangular fight was witnessed between the BJP, the SP and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the saffron party's Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua' won by a margin of 8,679 votes. While Nirahua got 3,12,768 votes (34.39 per cent), SP's Yadav secured 3,04,089 (33.44 per cent) votes. BSP candidate Shah Alaim alias Guddu Jamali got 2,66,210 (29.27 per cent) votes, EC said. 'It is the victory of people. Residents of Azamgarh have done wonderful work. The way you all gave me support, affection and blessings... this victory is yours. I dedicate this victory to your trust and the hard work of party workers who are like God to me,' Nirahua said on Twitter. AGENCIES BJP wrests Rampur, Azamgarh from SP AGENCIES LUCKNOW: In a setback to the main opposition Samajwadi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday wrested both Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. BJP's Ghanshyam Lodhi defeated SP candidate Mohd Asim Raja by a comfortable margin of 42,192 votes in the direct contest in Rampur. "Lodhi has won by over 42,000 votes," Rampur District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar told reporters after giving the winning certificate to the BJP contender. Sena dares rebels to fight polls as another minister lands in Guwahati AGENCIES GUWAHATI/ MUMBAI: Struggling to contain the implosion triggered by party leader Eknath Shinde's rebellion, the Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena on Sunday launched a vitriolic attack on the dissidents with party MP Sanjay Raut passing controversial remarks and daring the rebels to quit as MLAs and face fresh polls while Sena cadres continued to stage protests on the streets. Amid the intense power tussle between the Shinde camp and Thackeray, the Centre on Sunday extended Yplus security cover of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandos to at least 15 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, officials said. Their families living in Maharashtra too will be secured as the security blanket entails house protection teams, they said. A day earlier, rebel leader Eknath Shinde had accused the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of withdrawing security from the residences of 38 party rebels, including himself, and their families, and dubbed the action as 'political vendetta', although Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil denied any such move. On Sunday, Raut and Yuva Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray slammed the rebels while addressing Shiv Sena workers. Accusing the dissident Shiv Sena MLAs of having 'monstrous ambitions', Aaditya said even if all the party legislators turn rebels, victory will always be of the party. Addressing the Sena workers in Mumbai for the second consecutive day, he also said that the doors of the state and party are closed for the rebels MLAs. Striking an aggressive note, Raut said the present crisis was an opportunity to resurrect Shiv Sena. "We have learnt a lesson on whom to trust....These are bodies whose souls have died. Their mind is dead....40 bodies will come from Assam and will be sent directly to the morgue for postmortem," Raut said in an apparent reference to the number of MLAs camping in Guwahati with Shinde while addressing Sena cadres.