DEGENERATION OF INSTITUTIONS, INDIVIDUALS ASSURED IF NO SCRUTINY 15 DECEMBER 2024 MACRON NOMINATES INCESSANT RAIN RUINS FRANCOIS BAYROU AS NEW OPENING DAY OF FRENCH PRIME MINISTER BRISBANE TEST www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 12 PAGE 9 PAGE 5 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 PAGES 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER SMOG/MIST IS LIKELY IN THE MORNING. MAINLY CLEAR SKY. SMOG/MIST IS LIKELY IN THE EVENING/NIGHT. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 23 AND 07 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 76 % TEMPERATURE Min. 25 % Max: 23.4 °C (0) SUN RISES 07:07 hrs MOON RISES 17:15 hrs Min: 08.0 °C (-1) SUN SETS 17:27 hrs MOON SETS 08:07 hrs THUMBNAILS Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in conversation with State Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil while enjoying a meal during 'Sarkar Gaon Ke Dwar' initiative in Kupvi area in Shimla on Friday. n ANI Actor Allu Arjun released from jail: Actor Allu Arjun was released in the early hours on Saturday from Chanchalguda jail after spending the night there even though he had secured interim bail from the Telangana High Court. He later denied that he had caused the stampede but refrained from making any further comments since the case was still sub judice. (Page 4) PM targets Cong in fiery tirade PM Modi makes no-holds-barred attack on Cong during debate on 75 years of adoption of the Constitution NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 14 DECEMBER P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday charged the Congress with misusing the amendment provisions of the Constitution when it was in power while asserting that his government has also amended the Constitution but only for the sake of the country's unity. “Misusing the Constitution and destroying its spirit has been a part of the Congress DNA. For us, the Constitution, its purity, and its integrity are of the greatest importance,” Mr Modi said during his nearly two hours marathon reply to a twoday special debate on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India. “We have also made constitutional amendments... but for the unity of the country, for the integrity of the country, for the bright future of the country and with full dedication to the spirit of the Constitution,” Mr Modi asserted. He said that when the NDA got a chance to form the government in 2014, democracy and the Constitution got strengthened. Mr Modi also placed 11 resolutions before the House which included that "the Prime Minister Narendra Modi replies to the debate on the Constitution during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament in New Delhi on Saturday. n ANI Constitution should be respected, the Constitution should not be made a weapon for political selfishness, Keeping in mind the spirit of the Constitution, those who are getting reservation should not (have them) snatched away and every attempt at reservation on the basis of religion should be stopped, India should become an example for the world in womenled development." Other key resolutions placed by the PM also included that the country's politics should be freed from nepotism, there should be freedom from the mentality of slavery, ECI writes to Delhi CEO over complaints from AAP, BJP; asks to examine carefully STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 DECEMBER The Election Commission of India (EC) on Friday wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi over the representations received by it from the AAP and BJP raising several issues including alleged threat of mass voter deletion in the national capital, and asked to examine the matter carefully and necessary action be taken strictly following the guidelines. In a letter addressed to the CEO Delhi, ECI Secretary BC Patra wrote: “I am directed to forward herewith a copy of representation of the BJP along with its enclosures handed over during its meeting with Commission on 13th December, urging the need to remove names of illegal/temporary migrants, ghost voters from the electoral roll during the ongoing Special Summary Revision 2025.” The official informed that earlier a representation received from AAP regarding the threat of mass voter deletion in Delhi was forwarded to the CEO. “I am further directed to reiterate that the issues raised in representations of both the parties viz. to delete illegal/temporary migrants, ghost voters and not to undertake mass deletions of voters without proper enquiry, has to be examined carefully and necessary action taken strictly following the laid down statutory provisions and Commission's guidelines contained in the manual of electoral rolls,” the secretary said. The official said as per laid down instructions, no deletion can take place without a corresponding Form7. Further all cases of deletions must be personally got cross verified by ERO. “I am directed to convey that the extant process should be scrupulously followed by the entire machinery involved in the revision process including EROS, AEROS, BLO supervisors and BLOS, so as to ensure that changes in the electoral roll during the SSR period are backed by proper enquiry with fullest possible participation of the political parties,” Patra said. there should be pride in the heritage of the country and there should be zero tolerance towards corruption, no social acceptance of the corrupt. Launching a scathing attack on the grand old party, the Prime Minister said: “One family of Congress left no stone unturned in hurling a blow to the Constitution." “When the country was witnessing 25 years of Constitution, at the same time the Constitution in our country was razed. Emergency was imposed, democratic systems were finished, the country was Kerala protests against Centre's demand to pay for airlifting costs THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 14 DECEMBER The Kerala government has strongly protested against the Central government over the Indian Air Force’s renewed demand that Kerala recompense the outstanding `132 crore airway bill incurred by the Ministry of Defense during disaster-related humanitarian operations since 2019. The IAF has sent a Rs 132.62 crore bill to the state government for airlifting and rescue activities conducted by the force during the landslide. In a letter to the Kerala Chief Secretary, a joint secretary in the rank of Air Vice Marshal in the Ministry of Defence’s Department of Military Affairs had raised the demand for settlement of outstanding airlift charges since 2019. SNS South Korean National Assembly votes to impeach Prez Yoon AGENCIES SEOUL, 14 DECEMBER The South Korea's National Assembly voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched imposition of martial law. Mr Yoon’s presidential powers and duties were subsequently suspended and Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, the country’s No. 2 official, took over presidential powers later on Saturday. The impeachment motion against Mr Yoon passed 20485, with three abstentions and eight invalid ballots, with all 300 lawmakers casting their ballots. Mr Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) decided shortly before the proceeding to take part in the vote but opposed impeachment.Theresultshowed 12 PPP lawmakers broke from their party line to vote in favour of impeachment. A two-thirds majority was required to approve the motion, with the opposition bloc accounting for 192 of the 300 members of Parliament. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik said Yoon’s impeachment was an outcome driven by “the people’s ardent desire for democracy, courage and dedication.” The first attempt to impeach Mr Yoon last Saturday failed after nearly all PPP lawmakers boycotted the vote. A second impeachment motion against Mr Yoon was introduced on Thursday by the main opposition Democratic Party and five other minor opposition parties, accusing him of violating the Constitution and other laws by declaring martial law on 3 December. That decree was lifted six hours later after the Assembly voted to repeal it. The second motion was revised from the first motion to remove some charges against Mr Yoon but added others, including allegations that Mr Yoon ordered troops and the police to arrest lawmakers while martial law was in force. The motion will now be sent to the Constitutional Court, which will decide whether to reinstate Mr Yoon or remove him from office. The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or restore his powers. If he’s thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days. If the impeachment is upheld, Mr Yoon will become the second President to be ousted after former President Park Geun-hye in 2017. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered near the parliament roared in jubilation, waved banners and brandished colorful glow sticks, as a lead activist shouted on stage, “We have preserved the constitutional order!” “The impeachment has been done in line with the people’s demand and I hope a decision to dismiss Yoon Suk Yeol will come as soon as possible,” said Kim Su-bong, a protester. “I’m very happy and moved. I view it as a victory of the people.” In a central Seoul plaza, another huge crowd gathered supporting Mr Yoon, but they grew subdued after hearing he had been impeached. Mr Yoon issued a statement saying he would “never give up” and calling for officials to maintain stability in government functions during what he described as a “temporary” pause of his presidency. (More on Page 9) turned into a prison, citizens' rights were looted, and press freedom was curtailed,” the Prime Minister said. “This sin on the forehead of Congress can never be erased. Whenever democracy will be discussed across the world, Congress' sin will never be erased because democracy was strangled," he said, referring to the Emergency imposed on 25 June 1975 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Hittingoutatthe Congress’ frequent "jumla" jibes at the BJP,MrModisaidthe"biggest jumla in India" was 'Garibi Hatao' and alleged that it was used by four generations of Congress leaders in elections. The “Garibi Hatao” slogan was first used by then PrimeMinisterIndiraGandhi in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections. "Congress is very fond of one word. I want to use that word today. Their favourite word, without which they cannot live, is 'jumla'... The country knows that if there was any biggest jumla in India and it was used by four generations, that jumla was - 'Garibi Hatao'. This was such a Jumla which helped them in their politics but did not improve the condition of the poor," Mr Modi said. He said his government has made sincere efforts to bring the poor out of poverty. Cong’s Rahul Gandhi draws ‘Constitution vs Manusmriti’ parallel in Parliament STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 DECEMBER Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday took potshots at the BJP and its “supreme leader” Savarkar as completely critical of the Constitution. He said Savarkar had said that there was "nothing Indian about our Constitution." The LoP cornered the BJP and said that when it talks about protecting the Constitution of the country, it is "ridiculing Savarkar." “The worst thing about the Constitution of India is that there is nothing Indian about it. Manusmriti is that scripture which is most worshippable after Vedas for our Hindu nation and from which our ancient times have become the basis for our culture, customs, thought and practice. This book, for centuries, has codified the spiritual and divine march of our nation. Today, Manusmiriti is law. These are the words of Savarkar,” he said. “I want to ask you (ruling side), do you stand by your leader's words? Do you support your leader's words? Because when you speak in Parliament about protecting the Constitution, you are ridiculing Savarkar, you are abusing Savarkar, you are defaming Savarkar,” he added. The Rae Bareli MP said when one looks at the Constitution and we open the Constitution we hear the voices and ideas of Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru. Mr Gandhi also cited the story of Eklavya and said that just like Dronacharya took Eklavya’s thumb, the saffron party has taken the thumbs of farmers, the backward classes and the youth of the country. Two Bills related to ‘One Nation, One Election’ listed for introduction in LS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 DECEMBER Four days after getting a nod from the Union Cabinet, two Bills related to "One Nation, One Election" are listed for introduction in the Lok Sabha on 16 December. As per the list of business, Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will introduce the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The first amendment Bill relates to simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha and State assemblies; the other Bill seeks to align elections for assemblies in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry. The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 is intended to appropriately amend the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. On 12 December, the 'One Nation one Election' Bills were approved by the Union Cabinet paving the way for their introduction in Parliament.