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 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2024, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 OPP-TREASURY DIVIDE HARDENS AFTER CHARGES OF ASSAULT IN PARLIAMENT In Ambedkar’s name 20/12/2024 78 106 129 85 India, Pakistan will not play at each other’s grounds, ICC for neutral venues EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 19 AFTER MUCH delay, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced that India's matches at next year's Champions Trophy would be held at a neutral venue insteadof Pakistan,thedesignated host for the tournament. As part of thesolution,Pakistanwillalso not visit India for any ICC tournament until 2028, with its matches scheduled on neutral turf instead. While the Champions Trophy is set to be held between February 19 and March 9, the schedule had not been announcedduetotheimpasseover this issue. The PCB had categorically opposed the hybrid model but eventually agreed to it on reciprocal grounds. Thisisthefirstmajordecision since former BCCI Secretary Jay Shah took over as ICC chair. This hybrid model, for all events until 2028, is expected to prevent any logjam ahead of major events over the next few years. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Day-long faceoff: Two BJP MPs injured, police lodge FIR against Rahul LIZ MATHEW, MANOJ C G, ASAD REHMAN & PRAGYNESH NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 19 ACTING ON a complaint from the BJP after two of its MPs were injured in a scuffle Thursday between members of the ruling NDA and Opposition INDIA bloc on the premises of Parliament House, Delhi Police booked Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including those on voluntarily causing grievous hurt, use of criminal force and criminal intimidation. Police were still to act on a Congress complaint against BJP MPs who it said had pushed CongresspresidentandLeaderof Opposition in Rajya Sabha MallikarjunKhargetotheground and caused injuries to him. The two parties complained to police soon after Parliament descended into chaos on the penultimate day of the winter session when their members, accusing each other of denigrating the name of Dr B R Ambedkar,shovedandjostledat the Makar Dwar, the main entrance to the building, resulting in injuries to two BJP MPs, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY cause with Congress MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 19 THE EDITORIAL PAGE OVER BABASAHEB Debating Ambedkar’s legacy does him proud — not the push and shove, sound-byte tokenism PAGE10 FERRY CAPSIZE In Mumbai for treatment, family of TMC to Left, SP to BSP, 3 who took joyride split Opp finds common perishes in tragedy Left: NDA and INDIA bloc members protest on Parliament premises; Above: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi with BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi who was injured on Thursday. PTI MOREREPORTS,PAGES7,9 DISCARDING HIS usual white T-shirt for a blue-coloured one (the colour associated with B R Ambedkar), Rahul Gandhi, who was leading a protest of INDIA blocMPsinParliamentThursday demandingthesackingof Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Ambedkar in the House, walked up to a group of Samajwadi Party MPs. The SP MPs, including Ram Gopal Yadav, in their trademark redcaps,werestagingaseparate protest on the Parliament prem- EXPLAINED POLITICS AMBEDKAR AND THE RSS-BJP PAGE 13 ises on the issue. Gandhi shook hands with the SP MPs, and the two protests soon merged. Around the same time, the TrinamoolCongress(TMC)posted on one of its WhatsApp groups a tweet by Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi leader and Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NAYONIKA BOSE MUMBAI, DECEMBER 19 IT WAS for medical treatment at a city hospital that three members of the Ahire family — Rakesh Nanaji Ahire (34), his wifeHarshadaRakeshAhire(31) and their son Nidhish Ahire (5) — came to Mumbai from Nashik three days ago. After Rakesh’s therapy that lasted for an hour, the family decided to enjoy the rest of their Wednesday with a trip to Elephanta caves at Nidhish’s insistence of travelling byaboat.However,theirjoyride took a fatal turn and the entire family was wiped out after their boat en route Elephanta island Rakesh Nanaji Ahire(right) with wife Harshada Rakesh Ahire and son Nidhish Ahire capsized after a collision with a speedboat of the Indian Navy. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 FULL COVERAGE PAGES 4, 6