MILLENNIUMPOST.IN RNI NO.: WBENG/2015/65962 PUBLISHED FROM DELHI | KOLKATA VOL. 7, ISSUE 87 | Wednesday, 31 March 2021 | Kolkata | Pages 12+16 | Rs 3.00 No Half Truths City: Pg 2 World: Pg 8 Film: Pg 11 Focus on contact tracing 90% US adults to be eligible for Aditi Rao feels like a in areas seeing surge Covid vax by Apr 19: Biden newcomer with every film LAST DAY OF CAMPAIGNING AHEAD OF 2ND PHASE OF POLLS No PM has so brazenly Nandigram: Injured Mamata gets back High-decibel indulged in an unethical & on her feet for nat’l anthem campaigning undemocratic act: TMC concludes Trinamool Congress complains to Election Commission NANDIGRAM: Campaigning for the second phase of West of India against PM Modi for violating MCC in B’desh URGES ALL TO KEEP ‘COOL’ Bengal Assembly polls ended on Tuesday evening, setting the OUR CORRESPONDENT Shri Narendra Modi has thus out. According to TMC, the PRITESH BASU stage for the voting in 30 con- grossly misused his official Prime Minister visited a num- Highlights stituencies spread across four KOLKATA: The Trinamool position to interfere from for- ber of religious shrines in districts on April 1. Congress (TMC) has lodged eign soil in the election pro- Bangladesh. NANDIGRAM: The high » Mamata Banerjee urges The fate of 171 candidates a formal complaint with the cess in West Bengal,” read the Modi visited Bangladesh octave campaign trail for the people of Nandigram to will be decided in the sec- Election Commission of India letter by TMC Rajya Sabha on March 26 and 27 after second phase of polls in 30 maintain “cool” instead of ond phase by 75,94,549 voters (ECI) alleging gross viola- MP Derek O’Brien. being invited to participate in Assembly constituencies ended getting swayed away by who will exercise their fran- tion of democratic ethics and TMC has stated in its let- the celebrations on March 26 on Tuesday with Trinamool BJP’s instigations chise in 10,620 polling booths the Model Code of Conduct ter addressed to Chief Elec- to mark the 50th anniversary Congress (TMC) chairperson spread across the 30 constitu- (MCC) by Prime Minister tion Commissioner Sunil of the independence of Ban- Mamata Banerjee standing up, » Despite senior party leaders encies, the Election Commis- Narendra Modi during his Arora that Modi’s pro- gladesh as well as the birth despite having severe leg inju- telling her to refrain from sion sources said. The final day recent visit to Bangladesh. grammes in Bangladesh on centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ ries, as a mark of respect to the standing up during the of the campaigning saw hec- TMC has demanded that March 27 had nothing to do Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. national anthem in Nandigram national anthem, the TMC tic canvassing for the Nandi- the ECI should not only cen- with either the 50th anniver- TMC chairperson itself where she was allegedly chairperson stood up with gram seat in Purba Medinipur sure Modi but also take deter- sary of the independence of Mamata Banerjee on Saturday attacked after giving a clarion the help of her personal se- district where Chief Minister rent punitive action against Bangladesh or the birth cen- had accused Modi of violating call to oust BJP this election. curity guard and Jaya Dutta Mamata Banerjee is facing BJP him so that he does not repeat tenary of ‘Bangabandhu’. the MCC by visiting Bangla- Nandigram on Tuesday as a mark of respect leader and her former follower such ‘misconduct’ in future. “Rather, they were solely desh at a time when Assem- was the centre of attraction as Suvendu Adhikari. “…..the political motive and exclusively intended to bly elections were being held it witnessed a rare coincidence » TMC shifted its meeting to Union Home minister behind Modi’s visit to influence the voting pat- in Bengal. when the sitting Chief Minis- a playground at Tangua Amit Shah held roadshows Orakandi in Bangladesh is tern in certain constituen- Banerjee had accused the ter of the state, who is also the though it was scheduled to with Bengal’s megastar Mit- doubly proven by the fact cies in the ongoing elections Prime Minister of ‘begging’ TMC’s candidate from the area, be held at Tangua Crossing. hun Chakraborty in support of that he took along with him to the Legislative Assembly for votes in Bangladesh and campaigned along with Union The reason being BJP had Adhikari in Nandigram during Santanu Thakur, a BJP MP of West Bengal. No Indian doing ‘vote marketing’ and Home minister Amit Shah and also fixed one of its meet- the day, while Banerjee, who is from Bengal, who holds no Prime Minister has so bra- added that the government actor-turned-politician Mithun ings near the same venue confined to a wheelchair fol- official position in the Gov- zenly indulged in an unethi- should cancel his visa just as Chakraborty who joined BJP’s lowing her injury which she ernment of India. No MP cal and undemocratic act, and it cancelled the visa of Bangla- candidate Suvendu Adhikari » Security in Nandigram had sustained while campaign- or representative from Tri- violated the Model Code of deshi actor Ferdous Ahmed for a mega rally. has been beefed up with ing in the constituency, criss- namool Congress or other Conduct, by indirectly cam- after he attended a TMC rally Banerjee kicked off the cam- the Central force jawans crossed it addressing rallies at parties was invited to accom- paigning for his party from in the run-up to the 2019 Lok paign with a grand roadshow along with the police being several venues. Continued on P6 pany the PM. Prime Minister foreign soil,” the letter pointed Sabha elections. from Bhangabera to Sonachura Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram during the last day of campaigning posted in almost all the at around 11.30 am. With political rallies thousands flocking to see her, on Tuesday PIC/MPOST Travelling by flight BON VOYAGE women standing on both sides of the entire 3 km stretch of the waiting, braving the scorching on Tuesday at Sonachura, Basu- money as she alleged that the to become costlier narrow village road, blew conch heat just to get a glimpse of the lichawk and Tangua in Nandi- party’s Central leadership and shells, expressing their gratitude woman who had single-hand- gram. In the same breath, she deputy chief minister of a state from April 1 to her for choosing the Nandi- edly stood beside the farmers in urged the people of the area to are “distributing cash” to woo gram Assembly constituency to 2007 and it helped them to save stay calm and maintain ‘cool’ voters. Banerjee’s last public OUR CORRESPONDENT contest the polls. their agricultural lands.” instead of getting swayed away meeting on Tuesday was at Tan- The most interesting part of Banerjee upped her ante by the saffron party’s instiga- gua. After addressing the gath- NEW DELHI: Domestic and interna- the roadshow was people from against the BJP accusing its tions to create a “riot-like situ- ering for around 45 minutes, tional air travel will get costlier from April all castes, creed and religion leaders of bringing in police ation”. With a day left for the Banerjee said they all must sing 1. This is because the Directorate General stood side-by-side to welcome from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat polls, she once again asked peo- the national anthem as it was the of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to Banerjee. Shishika Pakhiti, an to threaten voters at all the three ple not to cast a single vote in last meeting of her campaign in hike the air security fee (ASF). The revised 82-year-old man, said: “I am public meetings she addressed favour of BJP even if they give Nandigram. Continued on P6 ASF for domestic air passengers is Rs 40, while for international air passengers it’s Rs 114.38. India records 56,211 fresh The ASF rates have been revised after around six months. In September last year, the ASF for domestic flyers was increased People have understood Covid cases, 271 more fatalities by Rs 10 (to Rs 160). For international there is no relation between passengers, it was increased to $5.20 from OUR CORRESPONDENT The 271 new fatalities include $4.85. “Aviation Security Fee for domestic ‘jumlas’ and development 102 from Maharashtra, 59 Punjab, passengers will be levied at the rate of Rs Rahul Gandhi NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 20 from Chhattisgarh, 16 from Kar- 200 per embarking passenger. Aviation tally climbed to 1,20,95,855 with nataka, 14 from Tamil Nadu and 11 Security Fee for international passengers 56,211 more people testing positive from Kerala. will be levied at the rate of $12 or equiva- for the infection in a span of 24 hours, Both Covishield and Covaxin vac- lent Indian Rupees embarking passenger. In today’s while 271 more fatalities pushed the cines are effective against the UK and The new rates will be effective on tick- A cargo ship sails through the town of Ismailia, Egypt, on Tuesday, as traffic resumed death toll to 1,62,114, according to the the Brazilian variants of Coronavi- ets issued on or after April 1, 2021,” the through the Suez Canal after it was blocked by a massive ship that had been stuck Union Health ministry’s data updated rus, while the work against the South DGCA order dated March 19 stated. sideways for nearly a week AP/PT paper on Tuesday. African strain was on at several labo- Continued on P6 Registering a steady increase for ratories, the Centre said on Tuesday.