FRIDAY 20 DECEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WHY NOW? THE NIGHT THE MUSIC REFUSED TO DIE P9 SENSEX 79,218.05q964.16 WEATHER Cloudy. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 27°C and 18°C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 71% Min. 58% FADNAVIS TAKES ON OPPN IN HIS FIRST ASSEMBLY SPEECH P8 NIFTY 23,951.70q247.15 ` vs $ 85.07 ICC ANNOUNCES HYBRID MODEL FOR CHAMPIONS TROPHY P5 P16 SILVER 99,000 GOLD 78,340.00 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.41p0.41 Ugly turn to Govt-Oppn tussle over Ambedkar Two BJP MPs injured as scuffle breaks out between lawmakers at Parliament complex TEMPERATURE Max: 27.4˚C SUN RISES 06:11 hrs MOON RISES 21:46 hrs Min: 18.8˚C SUN SETS 16:57 hrs MOON SETS 10:10 hrs New Moon on 31 December THUMBNAILS Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurates the Christmas Festival at Allen Park, (Page 3) Park Street. n BISWAJIT GHOSHAL Longest surviving Hizbul commander killed in encounter in J&K: In a major blow to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the longest surviving Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Farooq Ahmad Bhat alias Nalli, was among five categorized terrorists killed on Thursday in an encounter in south Kashmir's Kadder village of Behibagh Kulgam district. Two security forces personnel were injured during the gunfight. (Pg 7) STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 DECEMBER PM calls up injured MPs, assures full support T he row between the BJP-led NDA and the Congressled Opposition over Bhimrao Ambedkar took an ugly turn on Thursday when a scuffle broke out in the Parliament premises in which two saffron party MPs were wounded and had to be hospitalised. The two BJP MPs, Mukesh Rajput (Farrukhabad) and Pratap Singh Sarangi (Balasore), blamed Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for the incident in which they sustained injuries. Amid high drama in the Parliament premises where the MPs of the two fronts were holding separate demonstrations over the Ambedkar issue, Congress chief and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge also alleged he lost his balance and was forced to sit down on the ground when he was pushed by BJP MPs. The incident took place when the INDIA bloc MPs NEW DELHI, 19 DECEMBER who were demanding an apology and the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar, came face to face with the BJP lawmakers, who were protesting alleging that the Congress has insulted the architect of the Indian Constitution. The scuffle took place near the main entry of Parliament. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters: “They (Opposition) protest every day. They have been indulging in sloganeering and protesting everyday, For the first time, BJP MPs were protesting at Makar Dwar today. They were protesting against the misinformation being spread by Congress.” An agitated Mr Rijiju asked: “Who has given him (Rahul Gandhi) the right to push? They (Congress MPs) pushed and assaulted... if other MPs also start, what will happen then?” BJP Rajya Sabha MP S Phangnon Konyak, from Nagaland, told the Upper House that she has written to Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, alleging “misbehaviour” by Mr Gandhi. Parliament again became a casualty of the incidents outside as both Houses were adjourned without conducting any business. The Winter session of Parliament is scheduled to conclude tomorrow. The injured Mr Sarangi, who was in his wheelchair, told reporters at RML Hospital: “Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP who fell on me after which I fell down.” In his defence, Rahul Gandhi said: “This might be on your camera. I was trying to go inside through the Parliament entrance, BJP MPs were trying to stop me, push me and threaten me. So this happened...Yes, this has happened (Mallikarjun Kharge being pushed). But we do not get affected by jostling. But this is the entrance and we have the right to go in. BJP MPs were trying to stop us from going in...The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called up BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput to inquire about their wellbeing after they sustained injuries during a scuffle between the opposition and ruling alliance at the Parliament entra nce, allegedlyinvolvingCongress leader Rahul Gandhi. Both the BJP MPs were admitted to Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. PM Modi assured the two MPs of his full support. Medical Superintendent Ajay Shukla said that both the MPs suffered head injuries and have been admitted to the ICU. SNS central issue is that they are attacking the Constitution and insulting the memory of Ambedkar ji.” (More on Page 5) Oppn’s no-trust motion against Dhankhar rejected STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 DECEMBER Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh on Thursday rejected the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, terming it "an act of impropriety" to "mar the reputation of the chairman". In a detailed order, the deputy chairman called the motion "flawed". Explaining the reasons for the rejection, he pointed out that the mandatory 14- day notice required to move such a motion was not provided. Additionally, he noted that Mr Dhankhar's name was misspelt in the notice. At least 60 Opposition MPs of the INDIA bloc had on 10 December submitted the notice seeking removal of Mr Dhankhar.