www.thestatesman.com | @TheStatesmanLtd FOLLOW US: India’s National Newspaper since 1818 Evolve | Pages 20 | @thestatesmanltd ` 5.00 | People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI 8th Day Unity is essential: Amish Tripathy speaks | BHUBANESWAR | 07 December 2025 S P O RT S Art fairs of Kolkata Yashasvi Jaiswal’s big knock seals India win in third ODI Page 20 Airfares capped, IndiGo asked to expedite refunds Cap on soaring airfares The maximum fares set by the Ministry of Civil Aviation: India, USA seek further measures against terror outfits, backers: New Delhi: India and the USA have sought additional punitive measures like asset freeze and arms embargo by the UN against Pakistan-based terror outfits Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, their proxy groups and backers. India and the USA held the 21st Meeting of the India-US Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and the 7th Designations Dialogue on 3 December 2025 in New Delhi, a press release said on Saturday. They reviewed traditional and emerging threats and challenges such as terrorist recruitment, abuse of technology for terrorist purposes, and financing of terrorism, and discusses ways to strengthen cooperation against these challenges. “The two sides called for additional designations of ISIS and al-Qa’ida affiliates, and Lashkar-eTayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-eMohammad (JeM) and their proxy groups, supporters, sponsors, financiers and backers, under the UN 1267 sanctions regime,” the statement said. 8 `7,500 for routes up to 500 km 8`12,000 for 500 ~ 1,000 km 8`15,000 for 1,000 ~ 1,500 km 8`18,000 for routes above 1,500 km These limits exclude UDF, PSF and other taxes, and do not apply to Business Class or RCS-UDAN flights. Passengers wait at Terminal 1 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport as IndiGo’s flight disruptions continue nationwide, in New Delhi on Saturday. ANI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 6 December T he Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday directed IndiGo to clear all pending passenger refunds without delay, even as more than 400 domestic flights were cancelled as the crisis affecting the airline continued into its fifth day. The ministry also invoked its regulatory powers to curb soaring ticket prices following disruptions in the private carrier’s flight operations. “It has been mandated that the refund process for all cancelled or disrupted (IndiGo) flights must be fully completed by 8 p.m on Sunday, 7 December. Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations,” the ministry said in a statement. It said that any delay or noncompliance in refund pro- Cong demands apology from Rajnath over Maniben Patel diary entry row STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 6 December A claim by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's supposed opposition to a proposal by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to fund the Babari Masjid's reconstruction using public funds, has provoked a fierce response from the Congress party, which has accused the minister of propagating "falsehoods" and "twisting and turning history." The row centres on the historical record contained in the diary of Maniben Patel, the daughter and private secretary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Rajnath Singh, while addressing a rally at Sadhli village in Gujarat’s Vadodara district, claimed that it was Sardar Patel who firmly opposed and ultimately prevented Nehru from using government money for the Babari Masjid issue. “When Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru spoke about spending government funds on the Babari Masjid issue, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel opposed it. At that time, he did not allow the Babari Masjid to be built with government money,” Mr Singh said. The Defence Minister's claim was immediately backed by other BJP leaders, who cited the book Inside Story of Sardar Patel: The Diary of Maniben Patel, 1936-50 (edited by Prabha Chopra) as the source. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to social media to directly challenge the Defence Minister's assertion, presenting what he claims is the original source material. Mr Ramesh posted an image of a Gujarati diary entry from Maniben Patel's journal, found on pages 212-213 of the book Samarpit Padchhayo Sardarno by CA R. S. Patel 'Aaresh' (published by the Sardar Patel Vallabhbhai Patel Memorial Society, 2025). “Here is Maniben's original diary entry in Gujarati on pages 212-213 in the book Samarpit Padchhayo Sardarno...” Mr Ramesh posted on the X platform. “There is a huge difference between what is contained in the original diary entry and what Rajnath Singh ji and his fellow historians are propagating,” he added. cessing will invite immediate regulatory action. IndiGo has been instructed to set up dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells which will be required proactively contact affected passengers and ensure that refunds and alternative travel arrangements are processed without the need for multiple follow-ups. The ministry directed IndiGo to ensure that all baggage that was separated from passengers due to cancellations or delays is traced and delivered to the passenger’s residential or chosen address within the next 48 hours. To protect passengers from any opportunistic pricing, the ministry also invoked its regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes. The directive came after airfares on several major routes surged to extraordinary levels as IndiGo cancelled thousands of domestic departures. The sudden grounding created an immediate shortage of seats, triggering a sharp rise in last-minute ticket prices. Delhi-Mumbai fares on Air India peaked at Rs 60,000 on Friday. On the Chennai-Delhi route, tickets on Air India Express touched Rs 41,000, and SpiceJet quoted as high as Rs 69,000. NIKHIL VYAS New Delhi, 6 December Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that India is becoming the key growth engine of the global economy adding that in an atmosphere of geopolitical uncertainty, the country is emerging in a league of its own and moving ahead with deep self-confidence. “In a world of slowdown, mistrust and fragmentation, India brings growth, trust and acts as a bridge-builder,” PM Modi said while addressing the HT Leadership Summit here. He said that every sector today is shedding the old colonial mindset and aiming for new achievements with pride. “You know very well that no nation can move forward without self- confidence. Unfortunately, long years of colonial rule shook this very MR SHAH HAS BEEN VISITING WEST BENGAL AND HOLDING HIGH-LEVEL MEETINGS WITH LOCAL BJP LEADERS TO PREPARE FOR THE 2026 ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS ~ WHICH IS ALMOST LIKE A PRESTIGE ISSUE FOR HIM. SOURCES SAY HE IS DETERMINED TO REVERSE THE SETBACK THE PARTY FACED IN THE LAST ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS IN WHICH MR SHAH PREDICTED 200 ASSEMBLY SEATS BUT THE BJP COULD ONLY MANAGE 77 OUT OF THE TOTAL 294. VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 6 December Union Home Minister Amit Shah will lead the BJP strategy for the upcoming West Bengal elections to outdo Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress (TMC) in the upcoming Assembly elections. Top sources, who confirmed Mr Shah's direct involvement to guide the party’s efforts, said he will soon set up base in the state to be available for strategy meetings with state leaders and cadres. Mr Shah has been visiting West Bengal and holding high-level meetings with local BJP leaders to prepare for the 2026 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 6 December Marking Samhati Divas, Harmony Day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the fight against communal politics by some vested interests will continue. “Those who are revelling in the game of igniting the fire of communalism to destroy the country, our fight against them will continue,” Miss Banerjee said in a social media statement issued on Saturday. At the same time, she also appealed to the people to restore the heritage of peace and harmony in the state on the anniversary of the demolition of the Babari Mosque in Ayodhya. “Unity is Strength. At the outset, I extend my sincere greetings and congratulations to all on the occasion of ‘Unity Day’/‘Harmony Day’. The soil of Bengal is the soil of unity. This soil is Rabindranath's soil, Nazrul's soil, RamakrishnaVivekananda's soil ~ this soil has never bowed its head to division, nor will it in the days to come,” Miss Banerjee said in the social media post. People from all religions in West Bengal, including Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Jainism, and Buddhism, know how to walk shoulder to shoulder, she said. “We share our joys. Because we believe that religion belongs to each, but festivals belong to all,” the Chief Minister said. Her message emphasising unity and integrity came at a time when a narrative seeking to create divisions along religious lines has seemingly been gaining traction. The appeal assumed added significance as Humayun Kabir, an MLA from Bharatpur who was suspended from the Trinamul Congress recently for alleged anti-party remarks, laid the foundation stone of a proposed Babri Mosque at Beldanga in Murshidabad. Mr Kabir also raised concerns about the treatment of Muslims under Miss Banerjee’s leadership, alleging that her government had reduced Muslim representation in electoral politics. He has further threatened to damage his former party’s prospects in the 2026 Assembly elections by consolidating Muslim support under his leadership. The Trinamul Congress also observed Samhati Divas at Mayo Road, where party leaders called upon the people to strengthen harmony and integrity. We must free ourselves from every trace of colonial mindset: PM confidence in India. The reason for this was a deep colonial mindset. This colonial mentality has become a major barrier in achieving the goals of a developed Bharat. That is why today’s Bharat is working to free itself from this mindset,” the Prime Minister said. “I am requesting the people of our nation to look at the coming ten years as a clear time frame. I cannot achieve this without your support. Shah fine-tunes BJP’s strategy for Bengal ~ why 2026 is crucial for the party Assembly elections ~ which is almost like a prestige issue for him. Sources say he is determined to reverse the setback the party faced in the last Assembly elections in which Mr Shah predicted 200 Assembly seats but the BJP could only manage 77 out of the total 294. Carefully avoiding any personal attack against the TMC chief, the BJP is aiming at using the issues ofcorruption, unemployment, infiltration, and women’s safety to counter TMC's superior Fight against communal politics will continue: Mamata Banerjee grassroots network and outmatch the BJP’s Delhi-centric leadership, evident from the drop from 18 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 to 12 in 2024. Also, the 2026 Assembly polls will mark the final elections before the planned delimitation process, which will redraw the boundaries of constituencies and potentially shift the political landscape of the state. In this context, the significance of West Bengal’s vote share cannot be overstated. Currently, the state elects 42 Lok Sabha seats. It is projected that from 29 per cent as on date, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar will contribute 33 per cent of the total Lok Sabha members. In those terms, Mr Shah’s direct involvement underscores his hands-on approach in fine-tuning the party's strategy on the ground and the criticality of 2026 to break the TMC’s dominance. Caste issues are not as dominant in West Bengal as in other states, so Mr Shah's team is focusing on arithmetic, particularly in constituencies where the BJP trailed the TMC by 4-5 per cent in the last elections, to consolidate the party's presence in those constituencies. The policy of Macaulay that sowed the seeds of mental slavery in Bharat (India) will complete two hundred years in 2035,” the Prime Minister said. “This is why, within these ten years, we must free ourselves from every trace of that colonial mindset,” PM Modi said. He said the transformation taking place in India is not merely about possibilities. It is the real story of changing lives, evolving mindsets and a nation moving in a new direction, he said. PM Modi also mentioned India's Q2 GDP growth of 8.2 per cent and said India is emerging as a pillar of trust. “When the world speaks of slowdown, India continues to write a story of growth. When the world faces a crisis of trust, India is emerging as a pillar of trust. When the world moves towards fragmentation, India is becoming a bridge builder," PM Modi said. Pak Army drives terror, ideological hostility: EAM New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday said that a significant share of India's challenges, including terrorism, stems from the Pakistani Army, asserting that while the threat exists, New Delhi will “deal with it.” Speaking to NDTV's CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Rahul Kanwal, at the HT Leadership Summit, the EAM said ideological hostility towards India continues to originate from Pakistan's military establishment. "When you look at the terrorism, when you look at the training camps, when you look at the sort of policy of a kind of, I would say, almost ideological hostility towards India, where does that come from? It comes from the army. I can only say that at the end of the day, look at the state of Pakistan and, you know, see the differentials and the capabilities and, frankly, the reputation on either side. I think, look, we should not get over-obsessed and hyphenate ourselves with them," EAM Jaishankar said. Asked about Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir, the minister stated, “Like there are good terrorists and bad terrorists, there are good military leaders and not-so-good ones.” Madhya Pradesh kid becomes world’s youngest FIDE-rated chess player STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Bhopal, 6 December At an age when most kids are learning ‘A for Apple’ and ‘B for Balloon’, nursery kid Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha has more than mastered ‘Q for Queen’, ‘K for King’, and ‘C for Checkmate’, to become the world’s youngest FIDErated chess player. Sarwagya, from Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh, has achieved the remarkable feat at the age of just 3 years, 7 months and 20 days. In doing so, he has broken last year’s world record achieved by Kolkata’s Anish Sarkaar, who had become the world’s youngest FIDE rated player at the age of 3 years, 8 months and 19 days in November 2024. Sarwagya has achieved a FIDE rapid rating of 1572. Anish had a rating of 1555. The minimum score necessary to obtain a ranking is 1400. Information available on the internet indicates that a player must either draw or win against at least five FIDE-rated players in FIDE-recognised matches to achieve a FIDE ranking. Sarwagya won five of his first eight recognised matches against rated competitors, some of whom were almost 10 times his age. Sarwagya beat 29-year-old Shubham Chaurasia, who has a rating of 1559. He then defeated Abhijeet Awasthi (22), who has a 1542 rating. Sarwagya then beat 1696-rated Yogesh Namdev (20), and again beat Abhijeet Awasthi, in different tournaments this month.