SUNDAY CHENNAI MIIXEDXED BAAGG 23 DECEMBER 7 Will Shatrughan Sinha NDA seat sharing get BJP ticket for in done next year election ?  Keeps all sides guessing Former V-C  BJP, JDU to fight on 17 seats each, LJP gets 6 for LS polls Aravanan  Meets jailed Lalu in Ranchi New Delhi, Dec 23: passes away , Dec 23 (PTI): In a joint press conference, lead- Amid speculation that he may |NT Bureau | ers of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) announced the be denied a BJP ticket for Lok Chennai, Dec 23: seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar Sabha polls and join the RJD, for the 2019 elections. actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Former Vice-Chancellor of As per the arrangement, the Sinha has kept all sides guessing by Manonmaniam Sundaranar Uni- Bharatiya (BJP) saying that people should instead versity, K P Aravanan, passed and Janata Dal United (JDU) will speculate whether he would contest away today, here. He was 77. contest on 17 seats each while the on a BJP ticket or not. Born in 1941, Aravanan majored Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will Sinha, who has represented his Though he said the meeting with in Tamil language and went on to fi ght on 6 seats. native Patna Sahib as a BJP MP Prasad at the Rajendra Institute work as the head of Tamil depart- The announcement was made by for two consecutive terms, said his of Medical Sciences was personal, ment at the Pondicherry Central BJP president , JDU remarks on various issues which the timing of the meeting assumes University. Later, he held various chief and Bihar Chief Minister have not been liked by some party signifi cance. positions at Loyola College, before Nitish Kumar and LJP chief Ram leaders, were meant to ‘show the Speculation is rife that Sinha, taking up the Vice-Chancellor Vilas Paswan. The discussions over mirror’ to the BJP and cannot be whose attack on his party has post at Tirunelveli’s Manonma- seat sharing between the allies had with friendly relations with leaders be contesting an equal number of termed as ‘anti-party.’ sharpened in recent times, may niam Sundaranar University. been underway for over months. of different parties. His interven- seats in the politically crucial state ‘Instead of guessing whether they enter into fray from Patna Sahib DMK president M K Stalin, The decision was fi nalised after tion to resolve the differences with where the BJP-led NDA had won (BJP leaders) will give me ticket or from Prasad’s party if he is denied a PMK founder Ramadoss and LJP chief and Union Minister Ram the LJP was a clear indication of 31 seats in 2014. not speculation should be whether BJP ticket for the Lok Sabha polls. lyricist Vairamuthu condoled the Vilas Paswan along with his son the importance the BJP gives to The LJP had been insisting that I will take the ticket or not,’ Sinha He said loss of power in three death of Aravanan. Tamil scholars held a series of Paswan’s party which enjoys strong they should get seven seats, the told PTI. states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajas- paid their tribute at his home at discussions with Amit Shah and infl uence among Dalits. same number on which they con- The actor-turned BJP leader met than and Chhattisgarh is enough to Ayanavaram. Union Minister . Jait- Shah had earlier also said that tested in 2014, along with seats in jailed RJD president Lalu Prasad show that the situation is not good his party and its key ally JDU will and , too. in Ranchi on Saturday. in the NDA. World Tamil ley is an old Bihar hand in the party Organisation celebrates ‘RBI Governor NHS’ 70th year India’s longest railroad highly corrupt’ |NT Bureau| Hyderabad, Dec 23:

Chennai, Dec 23: BJP leader Subramanian The World Tamil Organisa- bridge ready after 21yrs Swamy alleged that Reserve Bank tion (WTO-UK) in recognition of India Governor Shaktikanta of achievers from the world of Das was involved in corruption medicine, celebrated the 70th  It will be thrown open for traffic by Modi on Tuesday and termed his recent appoint- anniversary of Britain’s National ment to the top post a surprise. Health System (NHS) recently. Swamy, however, did not give any specifi c details about the “corrup- WTO-UK, representing the tion”, an allegation he had made Indo-UK Community took the op- in the past as well. portunity to recognise healthcare professionals from various insti- The new governor of (RBI) is tutions in India and the United highly corrupt. I got him removed Kingdom for their exemplary from the (Finance Ministry). I service. am calling Shaktikanta Das as a corrupt person. I am surprised The event kicked-off with the that the man I got removed from UK-Global Medical Excellence the Finance Ministry for corrup- awards ceremony that saw 11 top tion was brought in as governor, doctors, consultants and surgeons Guwahati, Dec 23: Modi on Tuesday. Built by the Indian Railways, the double-decker Swamy said at an interactive awarded. It was conducted at the For 21 years, residents of Assam session at the Indian School of Houses of Parliament, Westmin- Bhaskar Gogoi was 18 when and Arunachal Pradesh have been bridge has two railway lines on the lower deck Business in Hyderabad. ster. Dr Arokiaswamy Velumani, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari waiting for the completion of the founder, MD and CEO of Thyro- Vajpayee inaugurated the construc- double decker rail and road bridge, Later, when reporters asked care, won the lifetime achieve- tion work for the Bogibeel bridge in on the Bramhaputra river, which and a three-lane road on the upper Swamy who he thinks should ment award for his contribution 2002. Its foundation stone was laid would will cut down the train-travel head the RBI, the to the world of medicine. by former Prime Minister HD Deve time between Tinsukia in Assam The Bogibeel bridge will connect The project has been completed at member named Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, pro- Seven other doctors from various Gowda in 1997. to Naharlagun town of Arunachal the south bank of the Brahmaputra a cost of Rs. 5,920 crore. fessor R Vaidyanathan. ‘Professor specialities of medicine including Sixteen years after work on the Pradesh by more than 10 hours. river in Assam’s Dibrugarh district Modi will fl ag off the train after R Vaidyanathan, former professor Diabetologist, Cosmetic Surgeon, bridge started, Gogoi has come to Built by the Indian Railways, the with Silapathar in Dhemaji district, inaugurating the Bogibeel bridge on of finance (IIM-B), would have Peri-natal Psychiatrist, Ophthal- the site to see the completed bridge. double-decker bridge has two rail- bordering Arunachal Pradesh. The 25 December, the birth anniversary been much better. He is also (an) mologist and Max Fax Surgeon Spanning 4.94 km in length, the way lines on the lower deck and a railways have reduced the distance of late prime minister Atal Bihari old Sangh man. He is our man,’ were also felicitated during the Bogibeel bridge, India’s longest rail- three-lane road on the upper, strong between Dhemaji and Dibrugarh Vajpayee and observed as the ‘Good he said. summit, a press release said. road bridge, will be thrown open for enough to withstand movement of from 500 kms to 100 kms with the Governance Day’ by the Centre. traffi c by Prime Minister Narendra heavy defence tanks. completion of the project. Pak a land of atrocities against Pak court to deliver judgment minorities: Naqvi against Sharif tomorrow New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI): Islamabad, Dec 23 (PTI): to wrap up the remaining two cor- The judge also observed that The BJP today lashed out at ruption cases against the three- the court was bound to follow 24 Pakistan Prime Minster Imran An anti-corruption court in Paki- time former Prime Minister. December fi nal deadline set by the Khan over his barb at India on stan will deliver its judgment on If found guilty, Sharif can be sen- Supreme Court. treatment of minorities, terming Monday in two remaining corrup- tenced up to 14 years in jail. Three cases - Avenfi eld properties tion cases against ousted his country ‘a land of atrocities The accountability case, Flagship Investment case and prime minister Nawaz against minorities’ who have been court had indicted Al-Azizia steel mills case - were Sharif. ‘persecuted’ there since its birth Sharif for holding launched by the National Account- Judge Muhammad Ar- in 1947. assets beyond his ability Bureau on 8 September, shad Malik of Islama- Minorities Affairs Minister known sources of 2017 following a judgment by the bad-based accountability Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in hard- income in August apex court that disqualifi ed Sharif. hitting remarks against Pakistan, court last week reserved 2017. the judgment after com- The apex court initially set six said that number of minorities Last week, the month deadline to conclude the pletion of hearing in the judge rejected ap- like Hindus, Sikhs and Christians cases but it was subsequently in- have fallen by almost 90 per cent Flagship Investment and plication by Sharif’s crease around eight times on the in that country since its birth in Al-Azizia cases against lawyer Khawaja request of the accountability court. 1947 as they were hounded by 68-year-old Sharif. Harris to provide one week time Prime Minister interacting with BJP workers of Islamic fundamentalists in collu- The verdict will be announced on to submit more documents but al- Sharif was disqualifi ed by the Su- Central Chennai Parliamentary constituency through video con- sion with its government. 24 December, which is the revised lowed him to provide any document preme Court in the Panama Papers ferencing today. deadline set by the Supreme Court by Friday last. case in July, 2017. Indian woman becomes fastest across Australia, through the outback, to reach Brisbane from where she fl ew over to Welling- Asian to cycle the globe ton, New Zealand, for doing the entire country north to south.

Mumbai, Dec 23 (PTI): the record. have cycled the globe in 124 days long cycle rises, getting the equip- Talking to PTI over the phone, in 2018, which was three weeks ment including a specially crafted In an incredible feat for any Vedangi said the 159 days spent faster than the previous record. cycle and planning the route and Indian, 20-year-old woman peddling up to 300 km a day in 14 Elements, both human and natu- time window. Vedangi Kulkarni has become the countries has shown her the ‘best ral, tested the Indian cyclist. This She did not have anyone accom- fastest Asian to cycle the globe. and worst’ of both herself and also included being chased by a Grizzly panying her for over 80 per cent of Vedangi, who hails from a suburb the world. bear in Canada or camping alone the route, and lugged the cycle with of Pune, cycled into Kolkata in the for multiple nights in the snow in Her father Vivek Kulkarni said the heavy luggage that includes wee hours of Sunday, completing Russia or being robbed at a knife- very few people undertake this cycle tools, camping equipment the 29,000 km distance required point in Spain. gruelling campaign and his daugh- and clothing in desolate stretches to qualify as bicycling across the Vedangi, a student of the Uni- all alone. globe. ter has become the fastest Asian to versity of Bournemouth in the UK She started off from Perth in cycle the globe. pursuing a degree in sports man- The ride was funded majorly by July and will now be fl ying back British adventurer Jenny Gra- agement, said preparations for the her parents. to the Australian city to complete ham (38) is the fastest woman to ride began about two years ago with Starting off from Perth, she cycled