CMYK Morning India ALTNEWS CO-FOUNDER'S ARREST BY DELHI POLICE IS ATTRACTINg EYEBALLS OPINION Rs. 3 PATNA WEDNESDAY, 29 JUNE, 2022 PG-12, YEAR—8, ISSUE—215 (RNI NO: BIHENG / 2014 / 59124) BIOPIC ON LATE PM ATAL BIHARI VAjPAYEE IN THE WORkS SCREEN & CINEMA Fadnavis in Delhi, BJP wants rebels to make first move AGENCIES NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party is weighing options as Shiv Sena rebels consolidate their position in a bid to topple the threeparty Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, with former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis meeting party president J P Nadda in New Delhi to finalise the next course of action. Sources said the BJP is expecting Sena rebels, who include 39 MLAs and have been joined by at least 10 independents in a Guwahati hotel, to make the first move by approaching Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Independent MLA Ravi Rana claimed the independents are supporting the BJP and that the next chief minister would be from the BJP- led alliance. Fadnavis is believed to have briefed Nadda about the unfolding political developments in the western state. He arrived in the national capital earlier to discuss the issue with the party's top brass, with 39 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs and at least 10 independent legislators from the state lodged in a five star hotel in Assam and working on overdrive to bring down the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led government. The BJP has denied any role in the rebellion but Fadnavis is being seen to be playing a key role in working out a post-MVA dispensation which he may head with support from the Sena rebels. Though the BJP sources expressed confidence that Four dead as ONGC chopper falls into sea AGENCIES MUMBAI: Four persons, including 3 ONGC employees, died when a Pawan Hans helicopter with two pilots and seven others onboard fell into the Arabian Sea about 50 nautical miles from the Mumbai coast. The helicopter managed to stay afloat with the help of the attached floaters for some time, helping rescuers pull out all the nine people, a company official said. Four of them were unconscious and were airlifted in a Navy copper to a hospital in Mumbai, where they were declared dead, he added. The helicopter, which had six ONGC personnel onboard, and one belonging to a contractor working for the company, was forced to land using the floaters that are attached to choppers that carry personnel and material from shore to offshore installations. The chopper was attempting to land at the rig, located some 50 nautical miles from the Mumbai coast, when the incident took place. About 1.5 km from the landing zone on the rig, the chopper fell into the sea, the official said. 37 Beur prison inmates test Covid positive OUR CORRESPONDENT PATNA: Spike in new Covid19 cases continues in Bihar, 37 inmates of Patna’s beur jail tested positive while the total caseload spiked to 774. The day to day spread of Covid-19 in the capital has raised the concern of authorities as latest data stated that Bihar’s total caseload spiked to 774. According to news agency ANI, 37 prisoners of Patna’s Beur jail found Covid-19 positive, says Beur Jail Supretendent . However, officials said that their reports came on Sunday and after that directives were issued to inmates regarding implementation of Covid guidelines. State’s health society’s executive director Sanjay Kumar Singh also confirmed the inmates of the prison tested positive for the virus. He said that government is watchful of the recent spike in Covid cases. At present most cases are coming from urban areas. But, in view of the recent spike, all the districts have been instructed to keep an eye on hotspot areas and take containment measures if necessary. Bihar is witnessing spurt in new Covid-19 cases. On June 26, 133 more covid positive cases have been reported from across the state taking the total count to 774. This was the third day in which more than hundred cases were found in a day. State health department’s data stated that out of total 133 cases, 80 were found from Patna alone. 9 in 11 in Gaya, 9 in Bhagalpur 4 each in Arwal, Banka and Samastipur. The maximum number of cases are being reported from Patna which has prompted authorities to speed up Covid testing and vaccination measures. Patna’s civil surgeon Vibha Kumari Singh said that most of the patients detected positive for Covid do not need hospitalization as they recover in home isolation. But she said that state capital Patna remained most affected. Presently total 534 active cases were found in Patna alone. the Uddhav Thackeray government is on its last legs, the party is treading cautiously to avoid any wrong move like the one in 2019 which had caused it embarrassment when Fadnavis formed a short lived government in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party faction headed by Ajit Pawar without ensuring adequate support of MLAs. Fadnavis had to resign in two days as NCP supremo Sharad Pawar rallied his party MLAs to deny him the numbers. The political crisis in Maharashtra started when Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde, who has claimed the support of more than three dozen party MLAs, raised a banner of revolt against the Shiv Sena leadership. The revolt in the Shiv Sena, which heads the MVA government, has pushed the three-party ruling coalition, which also consists of the NCP and the Congress, into a deep crisis. In a relief to rebel Shiv Sena lawmakers, the Supreme Court on Monday kept in abeyance the disqualification proceedings before the Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly till July 11 and sought responses to pleas by rebel MLAs questioning the legality of notices seeking their disqualification. The top court, however, refused to pass any interim order on the plea of the Maharashtra government that there should not be any floor test in the Assembly and said they can always approach it in case of an illegality. Return and talk to me, Uddhav tells rebel MLAs AGENCIES MUMBAI: Striking a re-conciliatory note a day after divesting the portfolios of all nine rebel Shiv Sena ministers and against the backdrop of the Supreme Court granting relief to breakaway MLAs, party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday appealed to the dissidents camping in Guwahati to return to Mumbai and talk to him, saying it's not "too late". Thackeray's offer to mend fences comes against the backdrop of controversial statements made by some Shiv Sena leaders, especially Sanjay Raut whose "40 bodies without soul" statement had caused a flutter. "It is not too late. I appeal to you to return and sit with me and remove the confusion (created by your actions) among Shiv Sainiks and the public," a statement by Thackeray's aide quoted him as saying. "If you return and face me, some way could be found. As the party president and family head, I still care for you," he said. Interestingly, rebel group leader Eknath Shinde daring the party to disclose the names of some of the MLAs camping in Guwahati reportedly in touch with the party leadership. At G7, India pledges to protect free speech AGENCIES SCHLOSS ELMAU: Leaders of the powerful G7 grouping and its five partner countries, including India, have said that they are committed to open public debate and the free flow of information online and offline while guarding the freedom, independence and diversity of civil society actors. In a joint statement titled '2022 Resilient Democracies Statement' issued here on Monday during the G7 Summit, the leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said they are prepared to defend these principles and are resolved to protect the freedom of expression. The joint statement came amidst allegations that the Indian government was stifling the freedom of speech and the civil society actors. The leaders said democracies enable open public debate, independent and pluralistic media and the free flow of information online and offline, fostering legitimacy, transparency, responsibility and accountability for citizens and elected representatives alike. The leaders said they resolved to 'protecting the freedom of expression and opinion online and offline and ensuring a free and independent media landscape through our work with relevant international initiatives'. They promised to guard the freedom, independence and diversity of civil society actors, speak out against threats to civic space, and respect freedom of association and peaceful assembly. The leaders pledged to ensure an open, free, global, interoperable, reliable and secure internet; increase the cyber resilience of digital infrastructure, including by improving and sharing awareness of cyber threats. Modi meets UAE Prez in Abu Dhabi AGENCIES ABU DHABI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met United Arab Emirates President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi and conveyed his personal condolences on the demise of former president of the Gulf nation Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. "In a special gesture, UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, accompanied by senior members of the Royal Family, was at Abu Dhabi airport for the interaction with PM," Ministry of External Affairs Sokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. Modi arrived in Abu Dhabion a brief visit after attending a productive G7 Summit in Germany where he interacted with several world leaders on the margins of the summit and discussed issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity. During his meeting with Sheikh Mohamed, Modi conveyed his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa, who died on May 13 at the age of 73 after a long illness. This is their first interaction after the UAE leader's election as the new president of the Gulf nation last month. Modi had expressed grief over Sheikh Khalifa's death, calling him a great statesman and visionary leader under whom India-UAE relations prospered. India had announced one day of state mourning following the demise of Sheikh Khalifa. Ten killed, 13 hurt in Mumbai house collapse AGENCIES MUMBAI: Ten people were killed and 13 others injured after a four-storey building collapsed in the Kurla area of Mumbai around midnight, civic officials said on Tuesday. A wing of the building located in Naik Nagar society collapsed while another wing was evacuated as it too is dilapidated, said officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.Search and rescue operations were underway. As per a senior official, residents of the building had been repeatedly warned about the condition of the building, but they insisted on staying there. As many as 23 people were rescued from the debris since midnight. Ten of them were declared dead, four were admitted in hospitals, and nine were discharged from hospitals after treatment, said an official. Doctors at the BMCrun Rajawadi hospital declared Kishor Prajapati (20), Sikandar Rajbhar (21), Arvind Rajendra Bharati (19), Anup Rajbhar (18), Anil Yadav (21) and Shyamu Prajapati (18) as 'brought dead'.