CMYK THURSDAY www.thestatesman.com 08 DECEMBER 2022 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘INDIA WON'T TOLERATE ATTEMPT TO CHANGE LAC’ T’GANA: SUSPENDED BJP MLA GETS NOTICE OVER TWITTER POST P4 WEATHER Mainly clear sky. Temperature likely to be in the range of 27-16 degrees Celsius. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.86% Min. 48% Max: 27.4 °C (-1) SUN RISES 06:04 hrs MOON RISES 16:10 hrs Min:16.3 °C (0) SUN SETS 16:52 hrs MOON SETS 05:08 hrs TEMPERATURE P5 THUMBNAILS AAP’s big win in MCD, ends BJP's 15-yr rule NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 7 DECEMBER he Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on Wednesday, dislodged the BJP from power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) after the saffron party's uninterrupted 15-year rule, securing a majority in the elections to the civic body. According to official results after the counting of votes, the AAP has won 134 wards out of a total of 250 wards while the saffron party, which had been ruling the civic body since 2007, bagged 104 seats. The Congress finished a poor third with nine seats while Independents bagged three wards.Addressing party workers and candidates after his party’s victory, a jubilant Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people of Delhi for bringing a change and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “blessings” for making the city better. “I congratulate the people of Delhi for this win and thank them for bringing a change. We have fulfilled T Delhi chief minister and AAP party leader Arvind Kejriwal with other leaders addresses the party supporters after AAP’s victory in the MCD polls at the AAP party office.  SUBRATA DUTTA the responsibilities that the people of Delhi gave us. I am indebted to you for believing in me and giving me love. We all have to work together. I appeal to all the candidates and parties that politics was only till today, we all have to work for the betterment of Delhi,” Mr Kejriwal said.In the MCD polls, Bobi, an AAP transgender candidate, wrote history after she won from the Sultanpuri-A ward in the elections. After the big win, Bobi said she aspired to work for the development of her area. She thanked all the people who helped her in the momentous victory. "I want to ded- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 7 DECEMBER The cumulative effect of India failing to win the Twenty20 World Cup and losing the current One-Day Internationals series to Bangladesh with a match to go could result in both Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid having to make room for others, at least in the white-ball formats, a source close to the Board of Control for Cricket in India told The Statesman this evening. All-format captain Sharma and coach Dravid might not be got rid of but the source, insisting on anonymity, revealed that both could find themselves out of the game's shorter versions. “Sharma mightn't be the allformat captain after this and Dravid's responsibilities could be restricted to the conventional game,” the source said. It was said that the BCCI had been inclined to consider its options since the defeat by England in the T20 World Cup in Australia, with several erstwhile stalwarts informally recommending fresh thinking, given the new developments in the white-ball games, especially T20s, the source said. Asked if the BCCI was also reckoning with the pressures and difficulties attendant upon playing three different formats virtually without a break, the source said: “This is very important and the board has been persuaded to consider people who're familiar with Twenty20s latest developments inclusive of schedule - savvy tutoring,” the source said. icate my victory to the people who worked so hard for me. I would like to thank everyone. Now I just have to work for development in my area," said Bobi. In 2017, Bobi contested the MCD elections as an independent candidate but didn't win. She has been associated with the AAP since Anna Hazare's movement.Meanwhile, three former women mayors of Delhi who contested the MCD polls on the saffron party's tickets, have registered victory in the elections. They are: Neema Bhagat, Satya Sharma and Kamaljeet Sehrawat. Ms Bhagat and Ms Sharma Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo embraces team mate Goncalo Ramos during his substitution at the World Cup group H soccer match between Portugal and Ghana, at the Stadium 974. After Ronaldo was dropped from the starting lineup by Portugal coach Fernando Santos, Goncalo Ramos ~ the superstar striker’s unlikely replacement ~ made himself an instant star by leading the team to a 6-1 win over Switzerland and into the World Cup quarterfinals.  AP Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, TMC leaders Derek O Brien, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, TMC LS MP Shatrughan Sinha during a meeting with TMC party MPs, in New Delhi on Wednesday.  ANI Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the 2nd ODI match against Bangladesh .  AP P10 After dethroning BJP in civic elections, Kejriwal seeks PM's blessings Full moon on 08 December ‘Overhaul likely’ DEMOCRATIC SENATOR RAPHAEL WARNOCK WINS GEORGIA RUNOFF Dhankhar, as RS chair, fires NJAC salvo STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 DECEMBER Formally assuming charge as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar today questioned the Supreme Court ruling striking down the National Judicial Appointment Commission Act (NJAC)in 2015, saying there was no parallel to such a development in democratic history where a duly legitimised constitutional prescription was judicially undone. This, he said, was a glaring instance of severe compromise of parliamentary sovereignty and disregard of the mandate of the people of which the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha were custodians. In his maiden speech on the opening day of the Winter Session of Parliament, Mr Dhankhar underlined the need to bear in mind that in a democratic governance Par- Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar being welcomed by the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, Piyush Goyal, in New Delhi on Wednesday.  ANI liament was the exclusive and ultimate determinative of the architecture of the Constitution.“It is disconcerting to note that on such a momentous issue, so vital to the democratic fabric, there has been no focus in Parliament, now for over seven years. This House, in concert with the Lok Sabha, being the custodian of the ordainment of the people, is duty-bound to address the issue,” the new Chairman of the House of Elders said. He also reminded members of the Upper House to be cognizant of “severe public discomfort and disillusionment” at the lack of decorum in the temple of democracy. “Obstruction and Disruption of proceedings as parliamentary practice or option are antithetical to democratic values. The contemporaneous scenario on this count is concerning and makes it imperative for us to follow the high standards set in the Constituent Assembly,” he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, congratulating the vice president on taking charge as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said: “Your life is proof that one cannot accomplish anything only by resourceful means but by practice and realisations.” Counting in Gujarat, HP today STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI/SHIMLA/ AHMEDABAD, 7 DECEMBER Counting of votes cast in the Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh will be held tomorrow amidst tight security as rival political parties in both states maintained a cautious optimism. In Gujarat, bolstered by the comfortable majority predicted by the various exit polls, the ruling BJP’s mood was upbeat, although it was somewhat soured by the setback the party suffered in the municipal polls in Delhi. For Himachal Pradesh too, most of the exit polls have given an edge to the party, while the Congress is banking on the tradition of change in government after every five years. There will be 37 counting centres in Gujarat covering 182 Assembly seats. In Himachal, counting will take place at 68 centres Counting for the bypolls to the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat and six Assembly constituencies in five states will also be taken up tomorrow. These Assembly constituencies are Rampur and Khatauli in Uttar Pradesh, Padampur in Odisha, Sardarshahar in Rajasthan, Kurhani in Bihar and Bhanupratappur in Chhattisgarh. While the contest in Gujarat had traditionally been between the BJP and the Congress, it was a three-cornered contest this time around with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) joining the poll fray. Exit polls have predicted a victory for the saffron party in the state. The Congress, out of power for 27 years, meanwhile, is hoping against hope that the exit poll projections may go wrong and reposed their faith in the wisdom of the people. In Himachal Pradesh, as some poll pundits have predicted a neck-to-neck fight between traditional rivals, all eyes are also on rebel candidates as they could possibly emerge as kingmakers. Both the BJP and Congress are taking no chances. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur is stated to stay put in Shimla to tackle any developments and manage the rebels if the need arises. The Congress is expected to move its elected MLAs to nearby partyruled states to keep its flock together for fear of poaching. were the East Delhi mayors in the past while Ms Sehrawat was a former mayor of South Delhi.However, former North Delhi mayor Avtar Singh lost the Civil Lines ward by a margin of 6,953 votes. Later in the day, the BJP called a meeting of its key office-bearers at the party headquarters at 5:30 pm, the party sources said. Another meeting of the BJP's winning councillors of the MCD polls has also been called. Earlier, the counting of votes cast in the 4 December polls was held amid tight security at 42 centres spread across the city. A total of 1,349 candidates were in the fray. Celebrations started at the AAP office soon after the trends showed that the party was set to cross the halfway mark in the election. The MCD polls held on Sunday witnessed a low turnout as compared to the 2017 polls with 50.48 per cent of the electorate exercising its franchise, officials said. Voting in 2017 was 53 per cent. A total of 13,638 polling centres were set up for the polling on Sunday. P12 Modi appeals to Opp to make Parl session more productive STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 DECEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi today appealed to all political parties and parliamentarians to make a collective effort towards making the Winter session of Parliament more productive, pointing out that MPs from almost all political parties had told him during informal meetings that they suffer a lot due to uproar in the House and frequent adjournments. “I urge all floor leaders and party leaders to understand the pain of these MPs. It is very important for democracy that the country should get the benefit of their enthusiasm and zeal to add their potential to the development of the county and to the decision-making processes,” he told reporters ahead of the beginning of theWinter session of Parliament. Noting that the Winter session was important because the country was moving forward in the journey of ‘Amrit Kaal’, Modi said the two houses were meeting at a time when India has got the opportunity to preside over the G-20. “The manner in which India has Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the media on the first day of the Winter Session of Parliament.  ANI made a space in the global community, the manner in which expectations with India have increased and the manner in which India is increasing its participation on global platforms, it is a huge opportunity to host the G20 Presidency at such a time,” he added. The PM said recently he had discussions with all the party leaders in a very congenial atmosphere. Its reflection, he expressed confidence, would be seen in the House as well. The same spirit would be visible from the House as well which would be useful for presenting India's potential in the world. “In this session, efforts will be made to take important decisions while keeping in mind taking the country to new heights of development and new opportunities to take the country forward amid the current global situation,” he added. He said he was sure that all political parties would add more value to the discussion, give new strength to the decisions with their views and help in highlighting the direction more clearly. “For the remaining period of this term of the Parliament, I would like to urge all the party leaders and floor leaders to give more opportunities to those who have come to the House for the first time, the new MPs, the young MPs, and increase their participation in discussions for their bright future and prepare the future generation of democracy,” he added. Mr Modi said young MPs have told him that Parliament was a big university of democracy and they were devoid of learning and understanding due to the non-functioning of the session and the absence of discussions. Submit records connected with demonetisation: SC to Centre, RBI SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 7 DECEMBER Spain's players react after the penalty shootout at the World Cup Round of 16 soccer match with Morocco on Tuesday. Morocco became only the fourth African country to reach the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup by beating Spain 3-0 in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw through extra time.  AP RBI hikes repo rate by 35 bps to 6.25 pc SNS & AGENCIES CHENNAI, 7 DECEMBER The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) onWednesday in a 5:1 decision increased the repo rate by 35 basis points (bps) to 6.25 per cent to contain inflation. The repo rate, also called the policy rate, is the interest at which RBI lends money to the commercial banks.The RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, heading the MPC, announced the rate hike and added that the battle against inflation was not over.With this the MPC has increased the repo rate by 225 points this fiscal. Pegging the headline inflation at 6.7 per cent for this fiscal, the RBI has also estimated the gross domestic product (GDP) or the economic growth at 6.8 per cent this fiscal.Mr Das said the Indian economy was resilient and the inflation was moderate. While the battle against inflation will continue, Mr Das also said the aspect of economic growth will also be kept in mind.The GDP growth of 6.8 per cent was resilient when the world was experiencing an acute slowdown.The upward revision in the interest rate was in line with expectations of the economic experts and industry officials. Reacting to the rate hike K. Joseph Thomas, Head Research, EmkayWealth told IANS:“The 35 bps hike in repo rate takes the base rate to 6.2 5 per cent. This will push the short term rates higher. In line with expectations but the overall stance looks relatively moderate compared to earlier policy pronouncements given the inflation outlook better.” CMYK INJURED ROHIT’S HEROICS IN VAIN AS B’DESH SEAL SERIES IN NAIL-BITER The Supreme Court onWednesday directed the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to submit relevant records in connection with the government's 2016 demonetisation decision for its perusal.After hearing detailed arguments on a batch of petitions challeng- ing the demonetisation move, a Bench headed by Justice S.A. Nazeer reserved the judgment. The Bench, also comprising Justices B.R. Gavai, A.S. Bopanna, V. Ramasubramanian and B.V. Nagarathna, said: “Counsel of the Union of India and Reserve Bank of India are directed to produce the relevant records.”