DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 CALLS AAP AN AAPDA (DISASTER), TELLS VOTERS TO EFFECT CHANGE PM targets Kejriwal in poll opener: I built homes for people, not a Sheesh Mahal 04/01/2025 84 112 137 76 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY AAP chief hits back with remarks on PM clothes, travel expenditure PM draws battlelines for Delhi polls: Modi model versus Kejriwal model DEVANSH MITTAL & NIRBHAY THAKUR MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, JANUARY 3 Draft rules released, Govt brings back localisation of personal data SOUMYARENDRA BARIK NEW DELHI, JANUARY 3 DATA LOCALISATION, a bugbear for Big Tech that was removed from the Data Protection Act, 2023, made a comeback under thedraftrulesreleasedFriday.The draftrulescomemorethanayear after the Digital Personal Data Protection Act received the President’sassentinAugust2023. Data localisation relates to measures that result in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E PM Narendra Modi and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar visit newly built flats for slum dwellers in Delhi on Friday. PTI More flights to Thailand and Malaysia as visa-free entry spurs Indian traffic SUKALP SHARMA NEW DELHI, JANUARY 3 IN THE autumn of 2023, ThailandandMalaysiaextended visa-free entry to Indian nationals in the hope of attracting tourists from the country at a time when they were travelling overseas like never before. Slow post-pandemic economic recovery in China had evidently hit tourist inflows to Southeast Asian hotspots, while THE BJP has so far not released anynamefortheDelhiAssembly elections — trailing both the AAP and Congress in this — let alone clarify whetheritwillhaveachief minister face or not. However, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched the BJP’s campaign for EXPLAINED OPENING THE BJP’s campaign in Delhi for the Assembly elections likelynextmonth,PrimeMinister Narendra Modi Friday targeted Arvind Kejriwal, chief of the rulingAAP,sayinghecouldhavebuilt a “Sheesh Mahal” for himself but chose to give people, especially the poor, a home of their own. NEW DELHI, JANUARY 3 the Capital Friday, pitting his government model directly againsttheAAP’s,anyremaining doubts about who would lead it, and how, were settled. It was also a resounding reply to constant jabs by AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal at the BJP, asking it to reveal its CM face and ● vision for Delhi. The AAP was, in reality, “aapda (disaster)” for Delhi, Modi said. Listing the India’srecoveryintermsof international passenger traffic was booming.Meanwhile,emerging destinations in other regions, particularly Central Asia and the Caucasus,alsopickedupinterms of interestamongIndiantourists. A year on, both Southeast Asian nations appear pleased with the results, so much so that they have decided to extend the visa-free entry facility for Indian passport holders further. Aviation and travel industry CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Bombay HC: Illegal slum occupants hold law-abiding citizens to ransom OMKAR GOKHALE MUMBAI, JANUARY 3 THE BOMBAY High Court on Thursday observed that “illegal occupants of slums hold lawabiding citizens to ransom” and such a situation across the city has “worsened over a period of 30 years as the slums have grown manifold”. The HC made these observations while dismissing a plea by five slum-dwellers seeking to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 India raises Brahmaputra dam plan with China, objects to new counties SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, JANUARY 3 DAYS AFTER Beijing cleared the construction of the world’s largestdamontheBrahmaputra river in Tibet close to the Indian border,raisingconcernsinlower riparian states India and Bangladesh, Delhi said Friday it has conveyed its concerns to the Chinese side over the mega hydel project. India has urged China to en- EXPLAINED DIPLOMACY & STRATEGY TSANGPO DAM, INDIA’S OPTIONS PAGE 13 sure that the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra are “not harmed by activities in upstream areas”. Delhihasalsolodgedaprotest CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Rohit told he’s not part of Test plans after tour of Australia, selectors to have chat with Virat VENKATA KRISHNA B CHENNAI, JANUARY 3 AHEAD OF the final Test at Sydney, the national selectors had informed captain Rohit Sharma that he wasn’t part of their red-ball cricket plans after the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. The Indian Express has learnt that this was followed by Rohit going into a huddle with coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, and subsequently sitting out of the Sydney game. This unexpected turn of events has raised speculations about the 37-year-old captain calling it a day, which would mean that the Melbourne Test India coach Gautam Gambhir and players Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the final Test against Australia in Sydney. ANI that Australia won by 184 runs would end up as his last game in India whites. Speaking for the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2