DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2024, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES SINCE 1932 `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES, `20 IN ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM OPPOSITION PARTIES PROTEST INSIDE AND OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT Opp demands Shah resignation over Ambedkar remark, PM slams Cong, its ‘rotten ecosystem’ Modi: Cong’s malicious lies can’t hide misdeeds, insult of Ambedkar My statement was distorted, always followed Ambedkar: Shah ASAD REHMAN NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 18 VIKAS PATHAK Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other leaders during the Opposition protest in Delhi. ANI IN PARLIAMENT PAGE 9 raisedtheissueinbothHousesof Parliament and also staged protestsoutside,displayingAmb- NSA Ajit Doval with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ahead of their meeting in Beijing on Wednesday. PTI NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 18 edkar’s photographs and raising slogans like, “Amit Shah maafi maango; Babasaheb ka apmaan, nahin sahega Hindustan (Amit Shah, apologise; Babasaheb’s insult will not be tolerated).” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 AS THE Congress spearheaded the Opposition attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remark which it alleged “insulted” Babasaheb Ambedkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ledthegovernmentandBJP’sdefence of Shah, accusing “the Union Ministers Amit Shah, J P Nadda and Kiren Rijiju at the BJP office in New Delhi on Wednesday. Praveen Khanna Congress and its rotten ecosystem” of perpetrating “malicious lies” to “hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult” of Ambedkar. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 India, China agree to resume Mansarovar Yatra, border trade after talks in Beijing SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 18 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Disaster at sea off Mumbai: 11 killed, 99 rescued after Navy speedboat rams ferry NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 18 MUMBAI, DECEMBER 18 AT LEAST 13 people, including four women and two children, diedonWednesdaywhenaNavy speedboat “lost control” during “enginetrials”andcrashedintoa private ferry heading from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination off the Mumbai coast, with over 110 passengers on board. The Navy said Wednesday evening that 99 people have beenrescuedsofar.Officialssaid efforts were on to look for possible survivors, adding that the condition of four of those rescued was critical. According to the Navy, one of its personnel and two from the OEM (Original Equipment CHIEF JUSTICE of India Sanjiv Khannaapprisedthefullcourtof the Supreme Court Wednesday of the Collegium’s meeting with Allahabad High Court’s Justice ShekharKumarYadav,TheIndian SRIRAM VEERA BRISBANE, DECEMBER 18 R ASHWIN stood in the corridor outside the press conference roomafterthethirdTestendedin a draw. Captain Rohit Sharma, walking just ahead of him, gestured to the waiting journalists. “Sabpatachalegaabhi(everything will be known now),” he said withalaugh,perhapsinreference to the buzz in the press box and on social media about the possible retirement of a “big player”. Behind Rohit, Ashwin seemed to be calming himself before his big announcement. He took a deep breath, composed himself and entered the room. The penny dropped when he said: “This is my last day... I had a lot of fun. I must say I've created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ASHWIN’S LEGACY PAGE 17 WEST BENGAL Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav Express has learnt. The Collegium of the top five judges, headed by CJI Khanna, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MOVING TO repair bilateral ties that headed south after Chinese incursions in 2020 triggered a military standoff along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, India and China agreed Wednesday on a set of “six consensus” including resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, trans-border river cooperation and Nathula border trade. This was announced by the two sides following talks in Beijing between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi who are also the Special Representatives (SRs). The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, said the SRs“providedpositivedirections E ● Kazan set ball rolling THE FIRST of the six consensus — of taking measures for peace on the border and development of bilateral relations — points to efforts to mend ties damaged by China’s incursions in Ladakh. The meeting of the leaders in Kazan, Russia, in October set the ball rolling. forcross-bordercooperationand exchangesincludingresumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, data sharing on trans-border rivers and border trade”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Passengers of the capsized ferry being rescued by the Navy and Coast Guard, in Mumbai on Wednesday. Express Manufacturer), who were on board the speedboat, were among the dead. According to preliminary information from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC),over110pas- sengers, including five crew members, were on board the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MORE REPORTS PAGE 10 PUT YOUR R Ashwin with Rohit Sharma in Brisbane, Wednesday. BCCI EXPRESSIN AUSTRALIA CJI briefs full court of SC on Collegium meeting with Allahabad HC judge APURVA VISHWANATH & SHYAMLAL YADAV NAYONIKA BOSE & SAGAR RAJPUT ‘This is my last day... I had a lot of fun’: Ashwin retires, in the middle of series ROW OVER REMARKS AGAINST MUSLIMS EXPLAINED Cong warns of protests across country, CMs of Opp-ruled states join chorus SETTING THE stage for another confrontation with the government, the Opposition on Wednesdaycutacrosspartylines todemandUnionHomeMinister Amit Shah's “removal” from the Cabinet,accusinghimof “insulting” Dr B R Ambedkar in his remarksinRajyaSabhaonTuesday. 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