THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR KTR CHALLENGES REVANTH TO DEBATE ON FORMULA E WILL XI PLAY BALL WITH TRUMP ON UKRAINE? P7 SENSEX 80,182.20q502.25 WEATHER Mostly cloudy. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 28°C and 16°C respectively. NIFTY ‘ISRAELI TROOPS TO OCCUPY BUFFER ZONE INSIDE SYRIA FOR FORESEEABLE FUTURE’ P4 24,198.85q137.15 P9 ` vs $ 84.94 Shah’s Ambedkar remarks spark huge political storm Opposition demands Shah’s resignation, HM accuses Cong of distorting his statement Max. 75% STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Max: 28.5˚C SUN RISES 06:10 hrs MOON RISES 20:52 hrs Min. 65% NEW DELHI, 18 DECEMBER Min: 16.1˚C SUN SETS 16:56 hrs MOON SETS 09:33 hrs U New Moon on 31 December THUMBNAILS Police personnel mounted on US-origin warmblood horses and England's thoroughbred horses, along with horses of Indian breed, patrol ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, in Prayagraj on Wednesday. n ANI 13 dead, 99 rescued after Navy boat rams into ferry off Mumbai coast: Thirteen persons died and 99 others were rescued after a Navy craft crashed into a ferry off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday, the Navy said. At about 4 pm, a Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with passenger ferry Neel Kamal off Karanja near Mumbai, the Navy said in a statement. nion Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha turned into a major controversy on Wednesday with the Congress-led Opposition raising a storm in Parliament, causing both Houses to be adjourned without transacting any business. Mr Shah also came under attack from Opposition leaders across the spectrum, while the ruling party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, mounted a fierce defence. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, among others, demanded Mr Shah’s resignation, in response to which the Union Home Minister accused the grand old party of distorting his statement for vested political interests. At a press conference, Mr Kharge referred to the Home Minister's remark in the Upper House that it had become a fashion to name ‘Ambedkar, Ambedkar’ for furthering one's political interests. This, he said, amounted to insulting the architect of the Constitution. Hitting back, the Home Minister accused the Congress of being "anti-BR Ambedkar, anti-reservation and anti-Constitution." He said the main opposition party has been presenting facts about his speech in the Upper House in a distorted manner. Mr Kharge said: "Our demand is that Amit Shah should apologise. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi has even a little respect for Babasaheb, then he should dismiss Shah from his cabinet immediately." Attacking the BJP and NSA Doval in Beijing for talks on boundary issue RSS, the Congress President said: “BJP-RSS and their political ancestors have never respected the Constitution. Their political ancestors never accepted the Constitution, burnt its copies. These people did not even adopt the tricolor. If BJP and its leaders have respect for Ambedkar ji then they would never have said such things.” During his speech in the Rajya Sabha in reply to the debate on the Constitution, Mr Shah had said: "Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai - Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to chant Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar'. If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)." Countering the Congress during a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, Mr Shah said: “Since yesterday, Congress has been presenting the facts in a distorted way and I condemn it... Congress is anti-BR Ambedkar, it is against reservation and the Constitution. Congress also insulted Veer Savarkar. By imposing Emergency, they violated all Constitutional values.” “My statement in the Rajya Sabha was distorted and misrepresented to the public. The Congress party has a tendency to distort statements and create unnecessary uproar. They previously edited a statement made by PM Modi and made it public. During the elections, my statement was also edited using AI technology and broadcast across the country,” he said. Cong can’t hide their insults of Ambedkar: PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 DECEMBER Stung by the Opposition's protest against Home Minister Amit Shah's speech in the Rajya Sabha while replying to the debate on the Constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the Congress and its ecosystem are gravely mistaken if they think their “malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards the architect of the Indian Constitution”. “The people of India have seen time and again how one Party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Dr Ambedkar and humiliate the SC/ST communities,” he said in a series of posts on social media platform 'X'. NEW DELHI, 18 DECEMBER India is willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and inject new impetus into bilateral relations, national security Adviser Ajit Doval was quoted as saying on Wednesday during his meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing. The Chinese leader noted that next year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. He was of the view that the two sides should implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, maintain the momentum of highlevel exchanges, cultivate political mutual trust, gradually restore institutional dialogue, and enhance exchanges and cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, and culture, so that bilateral relations could be back on the track. Mr Doval is in Beijing to take part in the India-China Special Representatives’ (SR) talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The talks are aimed at restoring the ties stalled for over four years’ due to the military stand-off in eastern Ladakh. The two SRs are expected to discuss a range of issues to rebuild the ties following the 21 October agreement of disengagement and patrolling in eastern Ladakh between the two countries. NEW DELHI, 18 DECEMBER Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Manish Tewari, Sukhdev Bhagat and Randeep Singh Surjewala will be in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for deliberations on the 'One Nation One Election' Bill, party sources said on Wednesday. The Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, proposes simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies across India. However, the proposal has faced strong resistance from Opposition parties, who voiced concerns about its potential impact on democracy. The Opposition raised concerns that the change could disproportionately benefit the ruling party, giving it undue influence over the electoral process in states, and could undermine the autonomy of regional parties. These Bills, which were TRIDIB BAPARNASH NEW DELHI, 18 DECEMBER didn't thank the BCCI and the fellow team-mates. Several of them. I want to name a few of them. All the coaches who have been part of the journey. Most importantly, Rohit, Virat [Kohli], Ajinkya [Rahane], [Cheteshwar] Pujara, who have taken those splendid catches around the bat to give me the number of wickets I've managed to get over the years,” he continued. “Also a big thank you to the Australian cricket team, who have been very fierce competitors. I have enjoyed my time playing against them.” “It's truly a very emotional moment … it's a game that's given me everything,” he added. The Tamil Nadu tweaker took 1-53 in India’s defeat in the second Test in Adelaide after being left out of the series opener in Perth, and then was again overlooked for Ravindra Jadeja in Brisbane. Having made his Test debut against the West Indies in Delhi in 2011, Ashwin finishes his career as the seventh most successful bowler with 537 wickets in the format, besides scoring 3503 runs with six centuries and 14 fifties, making him one of 11 allrounders with more than 3000 runs and 300 wickets. Rohit Sharma, who was sitting alongside Ashwin, when he made the announcement, said the champion off-spinner had been weighing up retirement since the Perth Test and he “was very sure” about the Anti-Dalit mindset: CM Mamata attacks HM Shah over Ambedkar remarks AGENCIES KOLKATA, 18 DECEMBER Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, launched a scathing attack against BJP over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on B.R. Ambedkar, claiming that this is a “display of BJP’s casteist and antiDalit mindset”. In a statement on Facebook, the Chief Minister claimed that as the Indian Parliament reflected on 75 glorious years of the Constitution, the Union home minister chose to tarnish this occasion with derogatory remarks against Ambedkar and that “too in the temple of Democracy”. “This is a display of BJP’s CASTEIST and ANTI-DALIT mindset. If this is how they behave after being reduced to 240 seats, imagine the damage they would’ve inflicted if their dream of 400 seats had been realised. They’d have rewritten history to entirely erase Dr Ambedkar’s contributions,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement read. According to her, the Union Home Minister’s remarks were an insult to the millions who look up to Ambedkar for guidance and inspiration. “But what else can you expect from a party that has internalised hate and Bigotry?” the Chief Minister questioned. Describing Ambedkar as the “Father of the Indian Constitution,” the Chief Minister said in her statement that the “outrageous” remark is not only an outright attack on him but all members of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, which symbolised India’s unity in diversity with members from all castes, creeds, ethnicities, and religions. Meanwhile, the Trinamul Congress’ Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien on Wednesday submitted a privilege notice against Mr Shah over the Union home minister’s remarks on BR Ambedkar, news agencies reported quoting unnamed sources, as the Opposition targeted the BJP leader over his speech on Tuesday. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE approved by the Cabinet last week, seek to pave the way for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies across India. Opposition members opposed the Bill's introduction. In the division, 269 members voted in favour of the Bill's introduction, while This will be my last day: Ashwin drops retirement bombshell after Gabba draw Moments after the rainmarred Brisbane Test ended in a draw, India’s star offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Wednesday shocked the cricketing world by announcing his immediate retirement from international cricket, midway through the BorderGavaskar series. The 38-year-old fronted the post-match press conference at the Gabba with captain Rohit Sharma where he revealed it would be his "last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level”. “I do feel there's a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to express that and probably showcase that in club-level cricket.” “I've had a lot of fun; I've created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates, even though I have lost some of them [from the India team] over the last few years. We’re the last bunch of OGs, if we can say that, left out in the dressing room, and I will be marking this as my date of having played at this level. “Obviously there are a lot of people to thank, but I would be failing in my duties if I BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.31p0.46 Priyanka Gandhi, Manish Tewari among Cong MPs PM Modi to in Joint Parliamentary Committee on ‘ONOE’ Bill visit Kuwait AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE P12 SILVER 1,00,000 GOLD 78,970.00 RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY TEMPERATURE INDIA, AUSTRALIA SHARE HONOURS IN BRISBANE TEST decision. “When we came here, we were not sure about which spinner was going to play. We just wanted to assess and see what kind of conditions we get,” Rohit said. “When I arrived in Perth, this was a chat we had, and I somehow convinced him to stay for that pink-ball Test match. After (that match), it just happened that he felt if I'm not needed right now in the series, I'm better off saying goodbye to the game. “He was very sure about what he wanted to do, and the team has complete backing of his thought process. Giving Ash that respect … and stand by what he is thinking, that is what I'm thinking right now – that's the kind of chat we've had and (with) Gautam Gambhir as well.” “It's important when a player like him, who's had so many moments with the Indian team and has truly been a big match winner for us, is allowed to make those decisions on his own, and if it was now, so be it,” the captain said. Ashwin also featured in 116 ODIs and 65 T20 internationals, collecting 228 whiteball wickets to finish with 765 international scalps. He was a part of the 2011 World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy winning teams. His last white-ball appearance for India came in 2023 when he turned up against Australia in the ODI World Cup game in Chennai. Ashwin will continue to feature in the Indian Premier League after being bought by CSK, his first IPL team, for Rs 9.75 crore at the mega auction last month. 196 voted against it. The Bills will now be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further deliberations. Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal tabled two crucial Bills: the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill) 2024. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024' and 'The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024', which propose simultaneous elections for both Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was introduced in the lower house today. NEW DELHI, 18 DECEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kuwait on 21-22 December at the invitation of Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, it was officially announced on Wednesday. This will be the first visit of an Indian PM to the Gulf country in 43 years. During the visit, the PM will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait. He will also interact with the Indian community in Kuwait. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. ` 14,131.6 crore recovered from sale of Vijay Mallya’s assets: FM Sitharaman STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 DECEMBER Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said Rs 14,131.6 crore has been recovered by public sector banks (PSBs) from the sale of assets belonging to fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya. This is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to address financial crimes and restore funds to affected entities, she said. The Finance Minister informed the Lok Sabha that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been successful in recovering assets from several high-profile economic offenders. These are ~ Vijay Mallya: Rs 14,131.6 crore returned to PSBs; Nirav Modi: Properties worth Rs 1,052.58 crore restored to banks; Mehul Choksi: Properties worth Rs 2,565.90 crore attached for auction; National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL): Rs 17.47 crore restored to genuine investors. In total, the ED has restored assets worth Rs 22,280 crore to victims or rightful claimants from cases involving economic offences, she said. The minister also discussed the impact of the Black Money Act, 2015, noting that it has encouraged taxpayers to voluntarily disclose foreign assets. The number of disclosures rose to 200,000 in 2024-25, from 60,467 in 202122. Vijay Mallya is a fugitive businessman and former MP, and fled India in 2016 amid allegations of financial irregularities related to Kingfisher Airlines. The Indian government has been seeking his extradition from the United Kingdom to face trial.