DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA COVID CASES DROP IN MUMBAI, BUT OFFICIALS POINT TO LOW TESTING FOOTFALL DROPS 30% AT HOTELS PG 4 MP Mohan Delkar found dead in Mumbai hotel room SAGARRAJPUTAND KAMAALSAIYED MUMBAI,FEBRUARY22 MOHAN DELKAR, a 58-year-old Member of Parliament from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, was found hanging in a room at Hotel Sea Green South in Marine Drive on Monday. Police said that his body was found at around 2 pm andafour-pagesuicidenote,written in Gujarati, was recovered from his room. Aseniorpoliceofficersaidthe suicideappeared"premeditated". In the note, Delkar purportedlyblamedanumberofpersons for the act of taking his own life, including a senior politician. The (Top)Policeat thehotel,(right) MohanDelkar. Ganesh Shirsekar MPhangedhimselffromtheceiling fan in his room using a shawl. Delkar is a former Congress MP and currently independent MP from Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH), a Union territory. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 22 THE COST of riding in taxis and rickshaws in Mumbai is set to go up with the state approving a hike in base fare by Rs 3 each. TransportMinister Anil Parabon Projects for Assam, Bengal, PM promises real ‘poriborton’ PM Modi at a meeting in Hooghly, Monday. Partha Paul SANTANU CHOWDHURY & ABHISHEK SAHA HOOGHLY, GUWAHATI, FEBRUARY 22 INAUGURATINGAstring of projects in the poll-bound states of West Bengal and Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday stepped up his attack against the Mamata Banerjeeled government in Bengal and said the BJP would bring “real poribortan (change)”tothestate. Addressing a public meeting at Dunlop Ground in Hooghly district, Modi said, “This time Bengal has made up its mind for poriborton (change) and the BJP will bring ashol poriborton (real change) in Bengal. It is impossible to develop the state as long as there is tolabaaz (extortion), syndicate and cut (money) culture. It cannot take place as long astheadministrationshieldsthe goons. We have to ensure law and order. Aar noy anyay, amraa ashol poriborton chai (no more injustice, we want real change)." CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPLAINED THECORONASURGE PAGE 12 INSIDE WAYANAD: RAHUL SLAMS CENTRE ON FARM LAWS IIM-C WAR: DIRECTOR WRITES TO GOVT AGAINST CHAIRMAN PAGE 9 `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 CONG-DMK ALLIANCE LOSES TRUST VOTE CongPuducherrygovtfalls, BJP,ADMKweighoptions Narayanasamy holds talks till the end, accuses BJP of ‘luring’ MLAs BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY ARUN JANARDHANAN PUDUCHERRY, FEBRUARY 22 MARKING THE end of the only Congress government in the south, with about three months left for polls, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and his Council of Ministers submitted their resignations on Monday to L-G Tamilisai Soundararajan soon after a Motion of Confidence was defeated in the Assembly. The result of the floor test, which was called four days ago bytheL-G,wasonexpectedlines with the ruling Congress-DMK coalition losing majority with a NR Congress chief and Oppn leader N Rangasamy after the vote Monday. PTI spate of resignations over the last month, including two on Sunday, and reduced to 12 in a 33-member House with a current strength of 26. ButNarayanasamyremained defiant,holdingdiscussionswith Cabinet colleagues and MLAs in the Assembly complex before Rising bond yields Base fare for autos, taxis rattle stock market: in city hiked after 6 years Sensex plunges 2.25% Hiked by Rs 3, applicable for MMR Monday announced that the base fare for auto-rickshaws will now increase from Rs 18 to Rs 21 while for taxis, it will increase to Rs 25 from Rs 22. The last fare hiketookplacein2015whenthe basefareswereincreasedbyRs1 each for both autos and taxis. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES THE CITY ● GEORGE MATHEW & SANDEEP SINGH MUMBAI, NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 THE RISE in bond yields across the world has disrupted the bull rally on the stock markets with the benchmark Sensex of the BSE plunging 1,145 points, or 2.25 per cent, to 49,744.32, taking the aggregate fall over the last five trading sessions to over 2,400 points, or 4.6 per cent. It closed at 52,154 on February 15. The NSE Nifty Index plunged 306 points at 14,675.70 as rising Covid cases in states like CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 entering the House, and finally leading his party in a walkout against three nominated BJP MLAs being allowedto cast their CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MORE REPORTS PAGE8 Markets watch bankers THE RISE in bond yields has impacted equity markets. But fund managers believe it is the direction of commodity prices and inflation that will chart the trajectory. For now, the markets are looking at the response of central bankers and for direction from them. Must guard rights, says Bombay High Court, gives Varavara Rao bail OMKAR GOKHALE MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 22 THE BOMBAY High Court Monday granted bail for six months to Varavara Rao, 82, held in the Elgar ParishadBhima Koregaon case, saying not doing so would amount to the court “abdicating” its “con- Six-month bail, court saysrightto healthpart of right tolife stitutional duty” as the “protector of human rights” and a violation of the fundamental right to health derived from the right to life in Article 21 of the Constitution. Turning down an appeal by the NIA for a three-week stay on the operation of the order, the high court granted bail to the poet-activist on health grounds, on a personal bond of Rs 50,000. Rao, who has been under CONTINUED ON PAGE 2