MONDAY 09 DECEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PAWAR CALLS FOR ‘CHANGE’ IN EVM ELECTION SYSTEM P5 WEATHER SIDDARAMAIAH GOVT TO FACE OPPOSITION HEAT IN WINTER SESSION ‘SARDAR PATEL NOT GIVEN HIS DUE PLACE IN HISTORY’ P8 P4 DOOR IS OPEN FOR SHAMI: ROHIT P12 The fall of the Syrian capital was the culmination of a lightning offensive that saw multiple cities captured in a few days Mainly clear sky. Mist in the morning. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 26˚C and 16˚C respectively. Rebels take Damascus, al-Assad flees AGENCIES RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 86% TEMPERATURE Max: 26.3˚C SUN RISES 06:05 hrs MOON RISES 12:13 hrs DAMASCUS, 8 DECEMBER I Min. 41% Min: 15.7˚C SUN SETS 16:52 hrs MOON SETS --:-- Full Moon on 15 December THUMBNAILS Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal conducts a padyatra (march) at Bapa Nagar, Karol Bagh, in the capital on Sunday. n SUBRATA DUTTA Over 138.34 crore Aadhaar numbers: India's digital infrastructure has undergone a transformative evolution in recent years and so far, 138.34 crore Aadhaar numbers have been generated, the government said on Sunday. DigiLocker, a platform for digital document verification, now stores 776 crore documents. n a stunning turn of events, opposition forces in Syria seized control of the capital, Damascus, as President Bashar al-Assad and his top aides fled for parts unknown, following a rapid offensive that saw major Syrian cities falling like dominos within days. Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire as the alAssad family’s 50 years of iron rule came to an end. Joyful crowds gathered in central squares in Damascus, waving the Syrian revolutionary flag in scenes that recalled the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal crackdown and the rise of an insurgency plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war. Others ransacked the presidential palace and the al-Assad family residence after Bashar al-Assad and other top officials vanished, their whereabouts unknown. Russia, a close ally, said Mr al-Assad left the country after negotiations with rebel groups and had given instructions to transfer power peacefully. Abu Mohammed alGolani, a former al-Qaida commander who cut ties with the group years ago and says he embraces pluralism and religious toler- ance, leads the biggest rebel faction and is poised to chart the country’s future direction. The end of Mr al-Assad’s rule deals a major blow to Iran and its allies, already weakened by over a year of conflict with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said troops had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights dating back to 1974, after Syrian troops abandoned their positions in the latest unrest. The rebels now face the daunting task of healing bitter divides in a country ravaged by war and still split among different armed factions. Turkey-backed opposition fighters are battling US-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group is still active in some remote areas. Syrian state television aired a video statement early Sunday by a group of rebels saying that Mr alAssad had been overthrown and all prisoners had been set free. They called on people to preserve the institutions of “the free Syrian state.” The rebels later announced a curfew in Damascus from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. Rebel commander Anas Salkhadi, who appeared on state TV later in the day, sought to reassure Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, saying: “Syria is for everyone, no exceptions. Syria is for Druze, Sunnis, Alawites, and all sects.” “We will not deal with people the way the al-Assad family did,” he added. Soldiers and police officers left their posts and fled, and looters broke into the Defense Ministry. Videos from Damascus showed families wandering into the presidential palace, with some emerging carrying stacks of plates and other household items. A statement from the Alawite sect ~ to which Assad belongs and which has formed the core of his base ~ called on young Syrians to be “calm, rational and prudent and not to be dragged into what tears apart the unity of our country.” The rebels mainly come from the Sunni Muslim majority in Syria, which also has sizable Druze, Christian and Kurdish communities. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said in a video statement that the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government. A video shared on Syrian opposition media showed a group of armed men escorting him out of his office and to the Four Seasons hotel on Sunday. Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told The Associated Press that Mr al-Assad took a flight Sunday from Damascus. (See also Pages 6,9) Farmers stopped at Shambhu again, India expects to double its $4 trillion economy this decade: Jaishankar halt their Delhi march for the day STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 DECEMBER NEW DELHI, 8 DECEMBER The 'jatha' of 101 farmers, who began their foot march towards Delhi on Sunday and were stopped at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, has suspended the march for the day. Speaking to the media, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that after holding discussions, the forums decided to call the 'jatha' back for the day after six farmers were injured. He claimed that the farmers, who had started moving, were stopped by the police using tear gas and other means, resulting in some injuries. The farmer leader said that their two forums will hold a meeting on Monday and decide the future course of action. Mr Pandher added that once a decision is made after discussions by the farmer unions, they will share the development through a press conference. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday that India expects to double its $4 trillion economy as well as its $800 billion trade this decade, adding the country is prepared to undertake many responsibilities, make greater contributions, and be more visible in the Gulf. “India is today almost a $4 trillion economy, we expect to comfortably double that this decade. Our trade is today around $800 billion, that too should at least double this decade,” he said, addressing the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. The minister said the stakes that India has in the Gulf are very high because this region is the most immediate for it in the world beyond its borders. “So whatever happens here, historically, culturally, civilisational wise, economically, connectivity wise mat- He alleged that the police used tear gas to disperse the farmers, and with the wind direction being on the farmers' side, it made the situation more difficult for them. However, he said that the farmers are determined to address their concerns and added that the government must find a solution to the issues. Earlier in the day, some farmer leaders claimed that the police asked for their ID cards. The farmers said the police told them they did not have permission to head to Delhi. Meanwhile, at noon on Sunday, a group of 101 farmers resumed their 'foot march' from their protest point at Shambhu. However, they were halted by the multilayered barricading put in place by security personnel. Police said that the farmers did not have permission to move forward towards Delhi. ters a lot. And at one level I’m sure that all of us would like to hope for at least a lowest common denominator on the basis of which countries cooperate. I think given the importance of this region, we should be more ambitious, we should aim for something very much higher,” he added. Mr Jaishankar said the Gulf is a region with which India does trade worth $170180 billion every year. It is a Border-Gavaskar trophy: Australia rout India by 10 wickets in Adelaide to level five-Test series 1-1 TRIDIB BAPARNASH NEW DELHI, 8 DECEMBER Putting behind the massive 295-run loss in the Perth opener, Australia produced a dominating show in the first two days of the Pinkball Test against India at the Adelaide Oval before Pat Cummins’ sensational fivewicket haul helped the hosts complete the formalities en route to a comprehensive 10-wicket triumph inside the first session of play on Sunday. Having resumed the day 29 behind Australia’s first innings lead of 157, and with half of the side back in the pavilion, India lost their final hope in Rishabh Pant in the very first over of the day when Mitchell Starc struck with a perfectly pitched delivery to have the southpaw nicking behind for his overnight score of 28. India eventually folded for 175, a little over an hour into the first session, setting Australia a target of 19, which Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney knocked off within four overs before the first interval. India managed to escape the humiliation of an innings defeat when Cummins was banging in one bouncer after another to get rid of Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshit Rana, and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Local boy Travis Head then pulled off a tumbling catch to dismiss No. 11 Mohammed Siraj, who was subjected to boos by the Adelaide crowd on Saturday for his send-off to Head. Head, who had slammed a 141-ball 140 in the first innings, didn’t have to return to bat for a second time in the match as Khawaja and McSweeney applied the finishing touches for the hosts. After the drubbing in Perth, there were questions raised about the way some of the top players fared, but they came back strongly in the second Test to level the five-match series and set the tone for a closely fought series in the remainder of the Tests. Skipper Cummins, who lacked the rhythm in the opening Test, silenced his critics by leading from the front in the second innings of the day-night Test. After having hit the top of Rohit's off stump with the new ball under lights on Saturday, Cummins used the shortpitched deliveries with the older pink ball, which wasn't swinging or seaming as much under natural light. As a result, he had Ashwin gloving behind and Rana popping up a catch to gully with a nasty bouncer. Nitish Reddy offered some resistance to the Australian attack, especially Cummins’ deadly spell, and hooked a throat-high lifter over square leg for six, despite two men out on the leg-side boundary. But when Cummins angled one across him from around the wicket next ball, Reddy ramped it straight to fine third. The Hyderabadi seambowling all-rounder eventually finished with 42 off 47 balls, making it the third instance in four innings that he had top-scored for India in his maiden Test series. For the sizable weekend crowd at the Adelaide Oval, their adopted son Nathan McSweeney dazzled with two boundaries in the slim chase, moments before their favourite son Travis Head was adjudged the Player-ofthe-match. Brief Scores: Australia 337 (Head 140, Labuschagne 64, Bumrah 4-61, Siraj 4-98) and 19 for 0 beat India 180 (Reddy 42, Starc 6-48, Cummins 241) and 175 (Reddy 42, Cummins 5-57, Boland 3-51) by 10 wickets. region where there is an Indian diaspora today of about ten million people and growing. It is also a region that is not just a key energy partner, but a broader economic partner, a very crucial source of investment, and increasingly an important technology collaborator. Talking about the importance of connectivity in the world, the minister said the primary preoccupation of the world today is to de-risk the international economy, Emphasising the need for reliable supply chains, he noted that the global connectivity is very fragile, it is very limited. Many of the historic disruptions have not been addressed. “So, we are today very heavily focused on trying to in a way find a kind of new hard wiring for the international economy. And one of the most ambitious initiatives here is the IMEC, the IndiaMiddle East-Europe Economic Corridor, which was agreed upon by a set of countries during the G20 Summit in India in 2023. And we hope that from India, across the seas through this region, across the Mediterranean into Europe we will see this connectivity corridor materialise,'' he added. He also spoke about the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway. MahaYuti’s Narwekar set to be elected unopposed as Maharashtra Speaker AGENCIES MUMBAI, 8 DECEMBER BJP legislator Rahul Narwekar on behalf of the MahaYuti filed his nomination for the post of Speaker of the 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Sunday. The filing of nomination was up to 12 p.m. as the election is slated for Monday. The Assembly Secretariat received Mr Narwekar’s sole nomination as the Maha Vikas Aghadi has not fielded its candidate for want of numbers. Mr Narwekar is expected to be elected unopposed. He will take charge on Monday. Mr Narwekar was elected as the Speaker of the 14th State Assembly in July 2022 after the change in the government following a rebellion staged by Eknath Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray. The BJP has done a repeat of the Lok Sabha experiment where the party had fielded Om Birla for a second consecutive term for the Speaker’s post. Birla was elected defeating the Congress nominee K Suresh. Mr Narwekar was elected from the Colaba constituency for the second time after the 2019 elections. He was earlier associated with Shiv Sena and NCP (united). During the 14th state Assembly, Mr Narwekar as a Speaker had delivered two key judgments after the split in the Shiv Sena and NCP. Mr Narwekar on January 10 this year ruled that the Eknath Shinde faction was the legitimate and “real Shiv Sena”, having the support of the majority of the party’s MLAs. Further, in February this year, he had declared that Ajit Pawar-led NCP as the real NCP when the two factions emerged in 2023.