UDDHAV FACTION SUBMITS 3 POLL SYMBOL, PARTY NAME CHOICES TO EC

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday asked the Election Commission to finalise one of three symbols -- a trident, burning torch, and rising Sun -- submitted by his camp and a name without delay ahead of the bypoll to the Andheri (East) assembly segment.

In a virtual address, Thackeray said his camp has submitted three names -- 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb Thackeray, Shiv Sena Balasaheb Prabodhankar Thackeray, and Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray' to the EC and expects it to allot one of them.

A day earlier, the poll body froze Shiv Sena's 'bow and arrow' poll symbol and also barred the factions led by Thackeray and Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde from using the party name in the November 3 bypoll.

Prabodhankar Thackeray, a social reformer and one of the stalwarts of the 'Samyukta Maharashtra' movement in 1950s, is the late grandfather of Uddhav Thackeray.

The bypoll is expected to be a straight fight between the Thackeray faction and the ruling BJP, a first after the vertical split in Shiv Sena in June this year.

In a YouTube live, Thackeray tore into CM Shinde's camp and also took swipe at the BJP. He said the BJP always targets Congress over former prime minister Indira Gandhi's decision to invoke the Emergency. "However, neither Indira Gandhi tried to finish off Shiv Sena nor any other Congress-led govt took such extreme steps against Shiv Sena," he said. The Sena chief said the 40 rebels, who are enjoying plum posts with the support of the BJP, will be dumped like an 'empty beverage bottle' once their utility is over.

"The traitors first took my chair by cheating and also tried to appropriate Shiv Sena and the legacy. Now they ensured that the symbol (bow and arrow) is frozen," Thackeray added.

PM DECLARES MODHERA IN GUJARAT AS INDIA'S FIRST 24X7 SOLAR-POWERED VILLAGE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday declared Modhera, a village in Mehsana district of Gujarat, as India's first solar-powered village.

While addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone and dedicating development works at Modhera, the Prime Minister said, "Modhera, which is associated with the Sun Temple will also be known for its strides in solar energy. It's a big day for Modhera as it takes a giant leap towards harnessing solar power."

He said that Modhera has become an example for the entire nation for amalgamating new technology with our glorious heritage.

"For the 21st century Aatmanirbhar Bharat, we need to ensure that renewable energy powers our energy needs. The transformation that is being witnessed in Modhera, is present and seen in the entire state of Gujarat. By leveraging the abundant natural resources and by propelling renewable energy initiatives, we should aim to become an energy provider to the world," he said.

JOBS IN SPOTLIGHT AS RAHUL YATRA RAISES PITCH AGAINST HATE POLITICS

On the 32nd day of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi focused on issues concerning the country’s youth, saying that they want employment and harmony and not hate. He charged that some political parties were trying to “mislead” the youth to spread hatred in society for their divisive politics and that it was imperative to save them from hate politics that, he added, will destroy the future of the country.

The yatra was getting a “huge support” from the youth, Rahul said in a Facebook statement in Hindi that was posted following a six-minute-long street play performed by the Bengaluru-based Hashmi Theatre Group along the march route Sunday morning at Jayachamarajapura near

The beauty of the journey was in its “unity and integrity”, the former Congress president said. “Our country was like this before and we have to recreate it again,” even as he appealed to the youth to join the yatra to spread the message of peace and harmony and to unite India.

INDIA SENDS DEMARCHE TO CANADA OVER ‘KHALISTAN REFERENDUM’, REMINDS THEM OF KANISHKA BOMBING

India has shot another demarche to Canada as a banned Sikh group prepares to hold a second referendum over Khalistan in recent times, advocating its cessation from the mainland.

New Delhi has even reminded Ottawa of the bombing of the Emperor Kanishka aircraft (Air India flight 182) in 1985 which blew up over the Atlantic Ocean killing all 329 aboard, including 268 Canadian citizens. The bomb was planted by Canadian Sikh militants.

The demarche, or a formal note of protest between govts, comes after India was informed that the second referendum would be held on 6 November in Paul Coffey Arena, Mississauga.

The last one was held on 19 September in Brampton, Ontario, following which India issued a rare travel advisory against Canada over rising anti-India incidents and hate crimes.

According to official sources, it was important that India issue yet another demarche through diplomatic channels because Ottawa was “not taking any action” despite repeated requests by New Delhi.

The govt has now publicly referred to the Kanishka terror attack apparently to “put pressure” on the Justin Trudeau govt to take action against organisations like the “Sikhs for Justice” (SFJ) that was banned in India in 2019.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / Oct 9

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Saturday 2,740

Active Cases 28,593 (-658)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,28,799 (5)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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PUTIN ACCUSES UKRAINE OF ORCHESTRATING CRIMEA BRIDGE BLAST, CALLS IT TERRORISM

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday accused Ukraine of orchestrating the powerful blast that damaged a bridge linking Russia and Crimea, describing the explosion as an “act of terrorism”. “There is no doubt. This is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure,” Putin said in a video on the Kremlin’s Telegram channel. “This was devised, carried out and ordered by the Ukrainian special services,” Putin said. He was meeting Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, who was presenting findings of an inquiry into Saturday’s explosion and fire on the bridge.

The blast on the bridge over the Kerch Strait, a key supply route for Moscow’s forces in southern Ukraine, had prompted gleeful messages from Ukrainian officials on Saturday but no claim of responsibility. The bridge is also a major artery for the port of Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea fleet is based.

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and the 19-km bridge linking the region to its transport network was opened with great fanfare four years later by Putin.

Rail services and partial road traffic resumed a day after the blast. Images showed half of a section of the bridge’s roadway blown away, with the other half still attached.

XI BRIEFS CPC LEADERS AHEAD MEET TO ENDORSE 3RD TERM FOR HIM

President Xi Jinping on Sunday presented a report outlining his achievements and future vision to the high-profile plenary session of the ruling Communist Party here ahead of the party’s National Congress next week, which is expected to approve a record third five-year term for him.

The plenary session of the Communist Party of China (CPC) attended by about 400 senior party officials began to discuss and approve some of the key policies and documents to be presented to the 20th Congress of the party scheduled to meet on October 16. During the briefing, Xi, presented a report on his last five years to party officials. The report will be submitted to the once-in-five-year National Congress.

“We must amend the constitution in accordance with the missions the party needs to carry out. We must incorporate the latest theoretical and strategic thinking into the constitution,” a recent report by the state-run Xinhua said. China’s constitution was amended in 2018 when the two-term limit on a president’s tenure was removed, paving the way for Xi to be in power beyond his 10-year tenure which ends this year.

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CAUGHT IN CONVERSION EVENT ROW, AAP MINISTER RESIGNS

Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam resigned from his post on Sunday amid a controversy over his presence at a religious conversion event where Hindu deities were allegedly denounced.

The BJP had used the issue to attack AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal during the election campaigning in Gujarat and accused him of being 'anti-Hindu'.

In a letter shared on Twitter, Gautam said he attended the event in his personal capacity and it had nothing to do with his party or the ministry. He said he is resigning as minister as he does not want his leader or AAP to be in trouble because of him.

The controversy erupted last week after a video went viral in which Gautam is seen at an event on October 5 where hundreds took a pledge to convert to Buddhism and to not consider Hindu deities as gods.

DON’T DILUTE 2024 AGENDA, SAYS TEJASHWI AS RJD DIFFERENCES COME TO FORE

No stranger to temper tantrums and sulking, Lalu Yadav's son Tejashwi Yadav had a fresh outburst on Sunday at a party meeting in Delhi, accusing a colleague of "abusing" him.

He left the RJD meeting midway in a huff and lashed out at party National General Secretary Shyam Rajak. "Shyam Rajak abused me, my personal assistant and my sister today when I asked him about the meeting schedule. I have an audio recording, and I'll put it on my social media. Such BJP-RSS people should be thrown out of the organisation," he told the media outside.

Tej Pratap’s tirade added to the woes of the RJD, which was already strained as the party’s Bihar unit president Jagadanand Singh – whose son Sudhakar Singh became the second Cabinet minister to exit the grand alliance govt earlier this month, purportedly over differences with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar — skipped the national executive.

Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav appealed to party leaders to not allow personal differences to “dilute” the larger goal of defeating the BJP, saying such instances put the party on the defensive.

Warning party leaders against speaking out of turn, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who also attended the meeting along with veteran leader Sharad Yadav, announced that only Tejashwi would comment on matters related to the party’s policy or other important issues.

"ASPECTS SUGGEST UNEVEN PLAYING FIELD": SHASHI THAROOR ON CONGRESS POLL

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday conceded that the party's quest to elect a new chief - its first non-Gandhi boss in over two decades - was off to a shaky start with the introduction of a pro-establishment candidate in his opponent Mallikarjun Kharge.

"There are certainly aspects that imply an uneven playing field," he said at an NDTV townhall in Mumbai, disclosing that some leaders had told him they were "under pressure" to back Mr Kharge, seen as the choice of the Gandhis.

However, he categorically refused to ascribe any blame to party chief Sonia Gandhi and son Rahul Gandhi. "The Gandhi family has made it very clear, also through the chief election authority Mr [Madhusudan] Mistry, that there's no official candidate. The Gandhi family is neutral in this race. And, Mistry added, if anybody goes around saying otherwise, it is not true. And he said it twice," Tharoor said.

"So, the fact is, I am assuming that there's no official candidate. But you are right in your question that some people in the party are implying otherwise and trying to influence voters with that theory," he said. "Wherever Mr Kharge goes, there are grandees of the Congress greeting him, garlanding him... whereas wherever I go, there are ordinary karyakartas (workers), simple folks who haven't received any such instruction," Mr Tharoor added.

TO BOOST NIGHT LIFE, DELHI LG ALLOWS 300 FIRMS TO OPERATE ROUND-THE-CLOCK

In a move that will boost Delhi's night life, LG VK Saxena has approved more than 300 establishments, including online shopping and delivery shops, hotels, restaurants, and transport facilities, to operate round-the-clock, officials at LG office said on Sunday.

The Lt Governor has approved a proposal to exempt 314 applications, some of them pending since 2016.

Approving the proposal, Saxena took a "very serious view" of "inordinate delay, adhocism, randomness and unjustified discretion" on part of the labour department in disposing of applications made by the firms for these exemptions, officials said.

The LG has ordered that such applications are disposed of within a strict timeline to foster an investor and business-friendly environment in Delhi.

BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA FLAYS BID TO MALIGN SUPREME COURT JUDGE AHEAD OF ELEVATION

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has condemned attempts by some “vested interests” to tarnish the image of Justice DY Chandrachud, who is likely to take over as the 50th Chief Justice of India on November 9.

“It is nothing but a scurrilous and malicious attempt to interfere with the functioning of the judiciary and the administration of justice,” the BCI said about a letter circulated by one Rashid Khan Pathan levelling certain allegations against Justice Chandrachud, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after CJI UU Lalit.

“The country and the Indian Bar have complete faith in Justice DY Chandrachud. He is an asset for the world’s judiciary and is known for his knowledge, honesty and integrity. But surprisingly, even such popular judges are being attacked,” the BCI said in a statement, following a complaint of alleged misuse of office against him.

DIRECT TAX MOP-UP RISES 24% YOY TO RS 8.98 TRILLION IN FY23 SO FAR

The Centre’s gross direct tax collection for FY23, so far (until October 8), stands at Rs 8.98 trillion, 23.8 per cent higher than mop-up during the same period last year, the finance ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Net tax collection (after refunds) stands at Rs 7.45 trillion, which is 52 per cent of the FY23 Budget Estimate.

The Union Budget for FY23 estimated a direct tax collection at Rs 14.20 trillion, against Rs 14.10 trillion collected in FY22.

“With inflation reportedly running between 6 per cent and 7 per cent, it is imperative that tax collections show healthy growth above the inflation rate. Strong economic growth, coupled with better reporting, seems to be supporting the collection figures.

Tax collections have been a bright spot for policymakers, with indirect tax collections also showing strong growth. Goods and service tax proceeds for September soared 26 per cent to Rs 1.47 trillion, on account of rising demand, higher rates, and greater tax compliance. Collections from the nationwide tax remained above the Rs 1.4-trillion mark for the seventh straight month, continuing to display high buoyancy.

BIG INFRA MINISTRIES PUSH THE PEDAL IN CAPITAL SPENDING IN FIRST FIVE MONTHS

As the economy picks up the thread post Covid-19, at least two big infrastructure ministries — Railways, and Road transport and Highways — have recorded a fast pace of spending in the first five months of the current financial year.

In fact, these two ministries account for nearly half (Rs 3.24 lakh crore) of the entire capital expenditure (Rs 7.50 lakh crore) budgeted for 2022-23. What is, however, of importance in their first five months’ spending pattern is that the bulk of it was capex — meaning expenditure that results is new asset creation or improving the quality of existing ones.

Just five ministries in the Union govt account for 72 per cent of the total capex of Rs 7.50 lakh crore in 2022-23. These are: Road Transport and Highways (Rs 1.87 lakh crore), Defence (Rs 1.60 lakh crore), Railways (Rs 1.37 lakh crore), Telecommunications (Rs 54,150 crore), and Housing and Urban Affairs (Rs 27,341.01 crore).

This suggests the govt has pressed the pedal on public expenditure to give an impetus to growth since the private sector continues to be averse to invest.

INFOSYS FACES ‘CULTURE OF BIAS’ LAWSUIT IN US

Indian IT giant Infosys has been sued in a US court by a former American employee for alleged culture of bias.

Jill Prejean, a former VP of talent acquisition at Infosys, has alleged that she received instructions from top bosses not to hire individuals of Indian descent, mothers or those over the age of 50.

The IT behemoth submitted a move to dismiss the complaint made by the plaintiff, who also asserted that she was let go for defying the business’ allegedly unlawful demands while hiring top executives. Infosys wanted her plea to be dismissed because Prejean had not provided evidence to support her claims. But the court denied the application and asked Infosys to respond within 21 days from September 30. Prejean had filed the lawsuit in September last year.

She claimed that during her first two months of employment in 2018, she tried to change this culture but was opposed by Infosys partners—Jerry Kurtz and Dan Albright. Another person named in the case is former VP Mark Livingston.

TOURISM BODY SEEKS E-VISA RESUMPTION FOR CANADA, UK NATIONALS

Stakeholders from the tourism industry have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing serious concern over the non-resumption of electronic tourist visas (e-TV) to citizens of the United Kingdom and Canada by the Centre,

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), a national body of the tourism industry with 1,600 members covering all segments of tour operators, said they have made numerous representations to the Ministries of Tourism, Home Affairs and External Affairs, requesting them for the restoration of e-tourist visa for UK, Canada and other source markets as maximum foreign tourists travel to India from these countries.

The e-tourist visa facility – which was open to nationals of 166 countries, including the UK and Canada – was discontinued in the wake of the pandemic in March 2020.

IYER, KISHAN GUIDE INDIA TO SERIES-LEVELLING WIN

Shreyas Iyer struck a sublime century while Ishan Kishan displayed his brute force against a formidable South African attack to set up a series levelling seven-wicket win for India in the second ODI in Ranchi on Sunday.

Mohammed Siraj led an inexperienced Indian bowling attack to restrict South Africa to 278/7 after the visitors opted to bat.

Iyer scored his second ODI hundred (113 not out off 111) and shared a match winning 161-run stand with Kishan (93 off84)  to ensure a comfortable win in 45.5 overs.

The 24-year-old Kishan looked a transformed batter and showed different layers of his batting by switching to beast mode after a responsible start. The left-hander smashed seven sixes and four boundaries in his career-best knock from 84 balls, while Iyer played the perfect foil.

The designated vice-captain of the series, Iyer, has been in top form in ODIs, having slammed one century and four fifties in his last six innings.

Locked one-all after two matches, both teams will play the series decider in Delhi on Tuesday.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo. - John Sinclair

OFF TRACK

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you'll be a mile from them, and you'll have their shoes.