OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD
CORONA
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ALERT JAIPUR l SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00
COVID-19 UPDATE
WORLD
6,79,487 1,76,16,627 DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA 14,994 DEATHS 4,22,118 CASES
CONFIRMED CASES
DELHI 3,963 DEATHS 1,35,598 CASES
RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 56
INDIA
RAJASTHAN
36,550 16,94,705 DEATHS
680
CONFIRMED CASES
TAMIL NADU 3,935 DEATHS 2,45,859 CASES
www.firstindia.co.in www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/ thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia instagram.com/thefirstindia
DEATHS
GUJARAT 2,441 DEATHS 61,438 CASES
42,083
CONFIRMED CASES
KARNATAKA 2,314 DEATHS 1,24,115 CASES
GEHLOT DEMONSTRATES HIS COMPLETE CONTROL OVER 100 MLAs
Desert Fest or 15-day quarantine @ Jaisalmer! ‘Fearing misuse of probe agencies, Mayawati making statements at BJP’s behest’
Aditi Nagar Jaisalmer/Jaipur: Fearing “horse-trading” ahead of the Assembly session, the Rajasthan Congress on Friday shifted the party MLAs to Jaisalmer from Jaipur where they had been staying at a hotel for over a fortnight. Notably, total 88 MLAs reached Jaisalmer on Friday of which 48 reached by three chartered planes on Friday afternoon whereas 40 others reached the Golden City by two chartered flights on Friday evening. Although in the evening flight a total of 40 passengers had travelled, however, seven of the total 47 individuals, were senior Congress leaders and two family members. Members of CM’s staff also travelled by the evening flight. Moreover, in all, six ministers and five MLAs could not go to Jaisalmer since the third plane could not land after sunset. Ministers Pratap Singh, Raghu Sharma, Ashok Chandana, Lalchand Kataria, Subhash Garg, Udailal Anjana could not go while MLAs Jagdish Jangid, Amit Chachan, Parasram Mordia, Babu Lal Bairwa, Balwan Poonia also stayed back. The MLAs who could not go on Friday are expected to fly to Jaisalmer on Saturday while
A confident CM Ashok Gehlot flashes a victory sign outside Jaipur Airport before boarding a chartered flight to Jaisalmer on Friday. —PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA
CM ENSURES THAT WORK DOESN’T SUFFER
JINDAL’S PLANES USED!
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has ensured that even though the MLAs have been kept under fortification, the government should continue functioning properly and therefore, the leaves of Collectors and Divisional Commissioners have been cancelled. Moreover, the secretaries in-charge will also hold two day tour of their respective districts. Chief Secretary Rajeeva Swarup issued the orders in this regard. Similarly, at any point in time, half a dozen ministers will be in Jaipur even as the ministers will travel to and fro to Jaisalmer. Moreover, CM Gehlot is also expected to camp at Jaipur and handle the affairs of the state.
KASHIRAM CHOUDHARY
ministers will stay in Jaipur. CM Ashok Gehlot and other senior party leaders, including AICC general secretary Avinash
RAJ POLITICAL CRISIS: BJP TAKES POTSHOTS AT GEHLOT Jaipur: State BJP president Dr Satish Poonia took a pot shot on CM Gehlot asking him if he would now take the MLAs to Pakistan. “Gehlot has taken MLAs to Jaisalmer to save them from poaching but how far the government will run. From where they have gone the next place is Pakistan,” he said sarcastically. Meanwhile, Deputy LoP Rajendra Rathore too condemned Gehlot’s comment that rebel Congress MLAs are offered unlimited amount after Assembly session was declared. P8
Int’l flights suspension extended till Aug 31 However, int’l cargo operations will continue New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA on Friday extended the suspension of scheduled international flights to and from the country till August 31. However, this restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA. “Government has decided to extend the sus-
pension on the scheduled international commercial passenger services to/ from India up to 2359 hours IST of 31st August,” DGCA said. Earlier, DGCA had on July 3 extended the ban on international flights until July 31 after it was suspended till July 15. According to senior government officials, the ban was extended because it was felt that it would take some more time for India to prepare before it can resume scheduled international operations. —Agencies
of the Assembly session from August 14. He said, “The rate for horse-trading has increased after the governor announced the assembly session date. The party has undertaken a campaign to save the democracy in the country.” Targeting Union Home Minister, Gehlot said he took the BJP leader’s name as he comes (on the forefront) “where the government is toppled”. “What has happened to you... day and night you think how to topple elected governments. How the democracy in the country will be saved if elected governments are toppled,” he asked. Turn on P6
On Friday, Congress MLAs were shifted from Jaipur to Jaisalmer on 3 chartered planes with the capacity of 37, 10 and 7 seats respectively. Congress leader and industrialist Naveen Jindal played a major role in the entire shifting process as the largest aircraft used—India FlySafe Aviation Company, Delhi—is associated with the Jindal Group.
Pande and spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, also moved to Jaisalmer along with the MLAs in five chartered flights. Gehlot alleged that
the MLAs, their family members and acquaintances were getting threat calls and pressure was being build on them after the announcement
MLAs DISQUALIFICATION ISSUE: CONG CHIEF WHIP MOVES SC New Delhi: After the Assembly Speaker moved the Supreme Court against the state high court’s July 24 order, Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi has also moved the apex court, challenging the order staying proceedings on his petitions seeking disqualification of 19 rebel MLAs, including dropped Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. P8
Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday alleged that BSP chief Mayawati is making statements over her party MLAs merger with the Congress at the behest of BJP and under “compulsion” due to fear of misuse of probe agencies. Gehlot also targeted BJP whose MLA has filed a petition in court against assembly Speaker’s decision concerning the merger of six BSP MLAs in the ruling Congress. In a series of tweets, Gehlot said that BJP saw no problem when MLAs or MPs of other parties joined it. He said BJP justified its actions saying that two-thirds of legislators were joining according to provisions of the anti-defection law. “In Goa, BJP took 10 of the 15 MLAs of the Congress on the basis of two-thirds. Four MPs of TDP merged with BJP in Rajya Sabha. In Rajasthan, all six MLAs of the BSP have merged the entire party within the Congress. When BJP’s merger is right, how is this merger wrong? What would you call it?” Gehlot said. “BJP got 4 MPs of
—Ashok Gehlot, CM
TDP merged inside Rajya Sabha overnight, that merger is right and six MLAs merged in Congress in Rajasthan, that merger is wrong, then I want to ask where did BJP’s chal, charitra, chehra go? Is it right to be merged in Rajya Sabha and is it wrong to be merged here?” he added. Gehlot accused BJP of misusing CBI and Enforcement Directorate. “Behenji has been put at the front by BJP and she is making state-
ments at its (BJP’s) behest. The way the BJP is misusing CBI and ED and it is intimidating and threatening...everyone knows what is happening in Rajasthan. We have never seen such a spectacle. She is afraid of it and is making statements out of compulsion,” he said. Mayawati had told ANI earlier that BSP had given unconditional support of all its 6 MLAs to Congress in Rajasthan after elections results. Turn on P6
TWO MLAs STUCK IN JAIPUR WHILE THEIR LUGGAGE TOURS JAISALMER! Jaipur: Even as most Congress MLAs left for Jaisalmer on Friday, two legislators, Amit Chakan and Jagdish Jangid could not go Jaisalmer as both were first sitting in a big charter plane while Mamta and Sukhram had to sit in the 7-seater plane. But then both were shifted to the bigger plane thus forcing both Chakan and Jangid to deplane make place for the two. Similarly Arun Kumawat and Amit Malik too could not go to Jaisalmer. However, during all this confusion the bags of these MLAs remained in the plane while they had to return to the hotel without their luggage. After this the rooms in Fairmont were reopened for both the Chakan and Jangid. Now both will go to Jaisalmer on Saturday morning along with Kumawat and Malik.
Neighbourhood bond: PM Modi’s sister from Pak sends rakhi to him New Delhi: Ahead of the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Pakistani sister Qamar Mohsin Sheikh sent a rakhi to him. Speaking to ANI, Qamar said, “In this corona period, I will first look for the safety of my brother. We shouldn’t mind because of the current situation in the country. If it had been possible, he would have called me definitely. I
Behenji has been put at the front by BJP and she is making statements at its (BJP’s) behest. The way the BJP is misusing CBI and ED and it is intimidating and threatening...everyone knows what is happening in Rajasthan.
PM Narendra Modi
have sent my Rakhi to him by courier along with a letter. I pray for long life for him. He
should keep on working like this only. I pray to Allah for his good and healthy life.” Express-
ing her wish, she said, “I feel he will interact with me on a video call on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.” She said, “A sister can only wish for the good life of his brother and she can tie Rakhi by herself but the situation is changed this time. I regret that this will be our 25th Raksha Bandhan and I couldn’t tie Rakhi by myself this year because of the pandemic. I pray he keeps doing good Turn on P6
Punjab hooch tragedy toll rises to 38, 8 held Chandigarh: Even as the toll in the hooch tragedy rose to 38, Punjab Police on Friday arrested seven more bootleggers from Amritsar, Batala, and Tarn Taran districts in over 40 raids conducted by five teams led by senior officers. With these arrests, the total number of persons apprehended so far in the spurious liquor death case has gone up to eight, including Balwinder Kaur, who was arrested on Thursday night from Muchhal village.
Director-General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said a huge quantity of spurious liquor, drums, storage cans, etc. has been recovered from the accused and they have been sent for chemical analysis to check for constituents of spurious liquor. More arrests are likely, he said, adding that raids were continuing and the police teams would continue to crack down on all those involved in the case to unravel extent of spurious liquor mafia. P5