FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR Zelenskyy refuses to cede land to Russia PERSPECTIVE Page 11 Page 9 Delhi’s at work to fix pollution Trump hints at new tariffs on Indian rice imports Page 12 BRIEFLY SC asks ECI why Assam roll revision not ‘intensive’: Mamata tears up Centre’s letter, warns of BJP ‘detention camps’ New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on a writ petition challenging the poll panel’s decision to conduct only a “Special Revision” of the electoral rolls in Assam, instead of undertaking a more rigorous “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Page 13 Belgium court rejects Mehul Choksi's appeal: New Delhi: The Belgian Court of Cassation, the country’s top court, has rejected fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s appeal against his arrest in Antwerp based on an extradition request by New Delhi, people familiar with the development said on Tuesday. Choksi is the main accused in a Rs-13,000 crore PNB scam. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Siliguri, 9 December I n a dramatic show of defiance, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday tore up a letter sent by the Central Government during a massive political rally at Raas Mela Ground in Cooch Behar, accusing the Centre of withholding funds for Bengal’s flagship 100-day job scheme and attempting to destabilise the state through divisive policies. Addressing the rally, Miss Banerjee said her government had received a letter from the Wednesday, 10 December 2025 SPORTS WORLD BUSINESS | Centre outlining “specific modalities” mandated by a court order for the implementation of the MGNREGA 100 - day work scheme. Holding up the letter before the crowd, she criticised the Union Government for “stopping funds meant for the poorest of the poor.” The Chief Minister declared that Bengal would not “beg” for funds and asserted that the state had already introduced its own parallel employment initiative, Karmashree, modelled on MGNREGA. “We will return to power again and expand the 75-day job scheme to 80 days under Karmashree,” she said. Turning her guns on the BJP, Miss Banerjee warned that if the party came to power in Bengal, the state would be “destroyed” and “turned into a detention camp.” “You will have no existence, no honour, and no identity,” she cautioned, alleging that the BJP planned to divide Bengal. “Do you want Bengal to be divided? Do you want Cooch Behar to be separated from Bengal? We will resist such attempts at any cost.” She said that protecting Bengal was essential to protecting the nation. “Bengal can save the country ~ when Bengal moves forward, the country moves forward,” she said. Accusing the BJP of spreading misinformation, Miss Banerjee mocked the Prime Minister as “Godibabu”, alleging he could not even correctly refer to literary icons such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. She described the Central government as “dictatorial and oppressive,” stating that Central agencies had been reduced to “puppets.” MGNREGS: Bengal only state with pending wage liabilities • More reports: Pages 2, 3 • Details on Page 3 New Delhi: Bengal is the only state with uncleared, due, and admissible pending wage liabilities from the previous financial year (2024-25) under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the Central government disclosed in the Lok Sabha today. The admission came in a written answer by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development, Kamlesh Paswan, to an unstarred question raised by Trinamul Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee. The minister noted that all due and admissible pending wage liabilities up to FY 2024-25 for all States/UTs “have already been cleared (except in case of State of West Bengal).” Bruno Fernandes stars as Man Utd beat Wolves Page 16 Centre cuts Indigo’s flight schedule by 10 per cent UNITED NEWS OF INDIA New Delhi, 9 December In the wake of the week-long disruptions and chaos in airline operations, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Tuesday ordered 10 per cent curtailment of IndiGo airline's winter schedule flights. "The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall Indigo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline’s operations and lead to reduced cancellations. A curtailment of 10% has been ordered," the minister wrote on the social media platform X. This is being done as punishment for the airline not having worked out its crew hiring plans to meet the DGCA's rostering and off-hour notification, sources said. The matter has been examined in the ministry, and in view of the recent abnormal cancellations of IndiGo flights resulting in substantial disruption to air traffic across the country, it has been observed that the airline has not been able to adequately manage its operational resources, including aircraft and pilot Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Naidu chairs a meeting with IndiGo’s top management, including CEO Pieter Elbers, to review the stabilisation measures, in New Delhi on Tuesday. ANI crew. Accordingly, the approved winter schedule of the airline will be reviewed and curtailed by a minimum of 10 per cent. The airline has also been instructed to comply with all the directives of the Ministry, including fare capping and passenger convenience measures without any exception. On Tuesday, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was summoned to the ministry to provide an update, and he confirmed that 100 per cent of the refunds for flights affected till 6 December have been completed. Although the number of cancellations reported by Indigo has reduced compared to earlier, passengers continued to face issues around the country. Chennai airport took to the X platform in the morning, informing that departures of 18 flights and arrivals of 23 flights have been cancelled by IndiGo up to 8 a.m. According to sources, there were multiple cancellations at the Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports as well. Bengaluru airport reported the highest cancellations of 121 flights on Tuesday, followed by 58 in Hyderabad and 41 in Chennai. • Another report: Page 5 RS debate on Vande Mataram turns into showdown between Kharge, BJP leaders Opposition demands paper ballots, Deepam row: INDIA bloc BJP counters with Emergency jibe seeks impeachment of STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PM Modi and Amit Shah leave no chance to insult Jawaharlal Nehru and other Congress leaders. New Delhi, 9 December Congress President and Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge launched a blistering attack against the BJP government during Tuesday’s debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, accusing the ruling party of exploiting the patriotic song for political mileage while sidelining pressing national concerns. Opening his speech with the chant “Vande Mataram,” Mr Kharge remarked pointedly, “We have a habit of singing ‘Vande Mataram,’ but those who didn’t use to, now have started it as well. This is the power of ‘Vande Mataram’!” The jibe was aimed at BJP’s ideological ancestors, whom he charged with historically distancing themselves from the freedom movement. Mr MALLIKARJUN KHARGE, RAJYA SABHA LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION Kharge accused the government of hijacking a revered national symbol to distract the public from real issues facing the country today. His remarks followed a robust defense by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who dismissed claims that the debate was politically motivated ahead of the Bengal Assembly elections. Responding to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s criticism, Mr Shah urged critics to rethink their stance. “Those linking the Vande Mataram discussion to the Bengal polls must reconsider their understanding,” he said, accusing Congress of politicising a patriotic subject. Mr Shah also took aim at India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, blaming him for limiting the use of the poem to two stanzas in 1937, which Mr Shah labelled “the beginning of appeasement politics” leading to India’s partition. New Delhi, 9 December In a turbulent Lok Sabha session on Tuesday, the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls exploded into a dramatic and polarised debate, as the Opposition accused the ruling party of systemic sabotage, while the BJP vigorously defended the reform and countered with historical indictments of the Congress party. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi invoked the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom to sound an alarm over what he termed rising threats to the nation's democratic foundations. He charged that divisive forces were actively working to dismantle the constitutional fabric, pointedly accusing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of a calculated infiltration of key independent institutions, naming the CBI, Enforcement Directorate, and the Election Commission of India (ECI). “The RSS fundamentally does not believe in equality,” Mr Gandhi said, warning that attempts to undermine elections amounted to ‘vote chori’ and was the "biggest anti-national act." The speech was met with protest; Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju interrupted, accusing Mr Gandhi of deliberately straying from the debate's topic to waste time. The attack on the electoral process was broadened by Congress MP Manish Tiwari, who declared that the SIR exercise lacked “any legal justification” and demanded its immediate cessation. Mr Tiwari proposed sweeping institutional reforms: he called for the abolition of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and a return to paper ballots, which he termed “the only way to ensure free and fair elections.” The BJP’s defence was led by party MP Nishikant Dubey, who declared, “I am proud that we belong to RSS,” and launched a blistering counter-attack by accusing the Congress of having a historical record of “undermined institutions” and national division, highlighting the 1975 Emergency period as a dark chapter when “democracy itself was suspended.” Justice GR Swaminathan STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Chennai, 9 December Accompanied by leaders of the INDIA Bloc, DMK Parliamentary Party leader Kanimozhi (photo) on Tuesday submitted an impeachment notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking removal of Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench, who has stirred a hornet’s nest with his orders on lighting the ceremonial Karthigai Deepam at a stone pillar near the Sikkandar Dargah atop the rocky Thiruparankundram hillock, above the famed Murugan temple in Madurai. The impeachment motion, signed by 107 MPs, accuses Justice Swaminathan of ‘judicial overreach’ and acts ‘amounting to misbehaviour’ besides ideological bias in his orders on lighting the deepam. The delegation that met the Speaker comprised Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, S Venkatesan of CPI-M, the MP from Madurai, DMK MPs, A Raja and TR Baalu, VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan as well as other MPs from the INDIA alliance. PM Modi to kick off BJP’s Bengal campaign; party leaders to avoid personal attacks against Mamata Microsoft to invest $17.5 billion in India to drive AI; Satya Nadella meets PM Modi VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 9 December New Delhi, 9 December Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to launch the BJP’s campaign for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections with at least seven high-profile rallies before the election dates are announced. He is expected to intensify criticism of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamul Congress (TMC) by focusing on development, law and order, women’s safety, and governance. Mamata Banerjee has already demanded an apology from the Prime Minister, alleging that he insulted Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay by referring to him as “Bankim da” during the debate on Vande Mataram in Parliament on Monday. It remains to be seen how the PM responds to this new challenge. Armed with the newly crafted ‘Vande Mataram’ political tool, PM Modi is expected to hold at least seven rallies across the state, focusing on urban and semi-urban constituencies where the BJP has a chance. The BJP’s strategy aims to consolidate Hindu voters with RSS support while highlighting development projects showcased during the PM’s earlier visits; however, learning from the 2021 elections ~ when BJP leaders made personal attacks on Mamata that backfired, alienating voters and boosting her sympathy vote ~ the party will avoid direct personal remarks against her this time, say sources. The PM is expected to address a rally in Hooghly’s Arambagh soon, which will be followed by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s tour. Notably, Dilip Ghosh’s controversial “Bermuda” remark in 2021 was seen as a major misstep. Speaking at a rally, the then state BJP president mocked Mamata’s leg injury with a jibe about her attire and wheelchair ~ comments widely perceived as “sexist.” Similar remarks by other BJP leaders also boomeranged, generating PM Narendra Modi with Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister JP Nadda, and other NDA leaders during the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting at Parliament Library Building, in New Delhi on Tuesday. AGENCIES sympathy among women voters who saw them as insults toward Miss Banerjee, viewed as Bengal’s resilient “Didi.” Senior BJP leaders admit that such comments made the party appear insensitive, especially to women voters ~ crucial for any BJP victory, as seen in recent elections such as in Bihar. These miscalculations are believed to have contributed to the TMC’s landslide win despite the BJP’s best efforts. “She is wearing a saree with one leg exposed. Wear Bermuda instead so everyone can take a clear look,” Mr Ghosh was quoted as saying. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Microsoft is set to invest $17.5 billion in India for AI, the announcement coming after its Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ahead of its India AI tour. In their meeting, both leaders discussed the country’s AI roadmap and growth priorities, the company said in a statement. “We are announcing our largest investment in Asia ~ US$17.5 billion over four years (CY 2026 to 2029) ~to advance the country’s cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, skilling and ongoing operations. This investment builds on the US$3 billion investment announced earlier this year, which we are on track to spend by the end of CY2026,” the statement read. Microsoft’s investment in India focuses on three pillars ~ scale, skills and sovereignty ~ aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of building a comprehensive ecosystem that drives AI innovation and access at a national scale, it said. The company’s CEO, Satya Nadella in a post on X said: “Thank you, PM Narendra Modi, for an inspiring conversation on India’s AI opportunity. To support the country’s ambitions, Microsoft is committing $17.5 billion ~ our largest investment ever in Asia ~ to help build the infrastructure, skills, and sovereign capabilities needed for India’s AI first future.” Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday expressed happiness that Microsoft will be making its largest-ever investment of $17.5 Billion in Asian in India. “When it comes to AI, the world is optimistic about India! Had a very productive discussion with Mr Satya Nadella. Happy to see India being the place where Microsoft will make its largest-ever investment in Asia. The youth of India will harness this opportunity to innovate and leverage the power of AI for a better planet,’’ the PM wrote on X.