Kremlin says Assad granted political asylum in russia The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia has granted asylum to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who fled the country on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin personally made the decision to offer asylum to Assad, the Kremlin said. The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency consultation on the situation in Syria later Monday at Russia’s request | P11 mangaluru l tuesday l december 10, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Sanjay Malhotra is new RBI chief To assume charge on Wednesday; will have to fight high inflation and slowing growth B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai THE government on Monday appointed Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Malhotra, 56, will assume charge on Wednesday, a day after the six-year tenure of incumbent Shaktikanta Das ends. A 1990 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer, Malhotra has been appointed for three years. He has extensive administrative experience of over 33 years INDIA BLOC push Coming: No-trust motion against V-P P r ee t ha N a i r @ New Delhi In a breakdown of ties between the Opposition and the NDA government, the INDIA bloc on Monday said it is contemplating an impeachment motion against Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Several Opposition MPs, including TMC and SP members, have signed a resolution for a notrust motion against Dhankhar under Article 67(B) of the Constitution, which says the V-P may be removed from office with a resolution passed by a majority of members in the Rajya Sabha. The Lok Sabha, too, has to approve it. BJP sources said the Opposition does not have the numbers as the NDA’s 119 seats puts it just past the majority mark as the RS strength is 238. working with various central and state government departments across finance, taxation, power, IT, and mining. Malhotra’s appointment comes at a challenging time as the central bank has to keep the country’s retail inflation within the mandated range of 2-6% while clearing the path for economic growth. His decisions will be watched keenly as the latest data shows retail inflation remains above RBI’s al- lowable limit at 6.21% in October while GDP growth has slumped to 5.4% in the second quarter of FY25. The delayed announcement of the new RBI gover nor’s appointment, made a day before Das’s tenure was to end, created a buzz that the incumbent might get another extension. That Das met Finance Minister Nir mala Sitharaman on Saturday fuelled the speculation. Das was appointed as RBI governor after the abrupt exit of Urjit Patel on December 12, 2018. In 2021, he was given a three-year extension, which will end on December 10. According to experts, the appointment shows the Central government’s preference for IAS officers as RBI governors, rather than bringing economists from outside. Malhotra’s experience in the finance ministry is expected to ensure smooth coordination with the government in matters of monetary policy . Stop attacks on Hindus, Dhaka told Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi FOREIGN Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday raised the issue of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh during the first high-level diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Dhaka since the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government took power in August. Voicing concerns over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh, Misri told his counterpart Mohammad Jashim Uddin that the attacks on cultural, religious and diplomatic properties were regrettable. Misri also called on the chief advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Advisor Md Touhid Hossain. Misri expressed New Delhi’s desire for a “positive, constructive and mutually beneficial” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri (right) with counterpart Md Jashim Uddin | pti relationship with Dhaka. “Today’s discussions have given both of us the opportunity to take stock of our relations. I appreciate the opportunity today to have had a frank, candid and constructive exchange of views with all my interlocutors,” he told reporters after meeting Uddin. While expressing anguish over the recent incidents of violence against minorities during the meetings, Misri said he also underlined India’s India’s desire to work closely with the interim government of Bangladesh. Misri emphasised that people are the main stakeholders in India-Bangladesh relations, and noted that India’s development cooperation and multifaceted engagements with Bangladesh, including in the areas of connectivity, trade, power, energy and capacity building, are all geared towards the benefit of the people of Bangladesh. He said India expected an overall constructive approach on all these issues by the Bangladesh authorities and looked forward to moving the relationship forward in a positive and constructive direction. During these meetings, Misri highlighted India’s support for a democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh, the MEA said in a statement. W i n t e r s e ssi o n b e g i n s Waqf, Panchamasali quota issues rock Houses S uch i t r a K alyan Mohan t y @ New Delhi P r a m od V a i d ya & F i r o z Ro z i nda r @ Belagavi Both Houses witnessed heated debates on Waqf issue and the demand to increase reservation for Panchamasali Lingayat community, here on Monday . As soon as the session began, MLAs from ruling and opposition parties traded charges and blamed each other for the controversy over the demand for increasing reservation for Panchamasalis. Assembly Speaker UT Khader adjourned the House for an hour. The Upper House too witnessed noisy scenes during the debate on the demand for more quota for Panchamsalis. Chairman Basavaraj Horatti adjourned the House for sometime as his efforts to pacify the irate members went in vain. Given the first day’s development, both Houses may witness heated debates on Tuesday too. According to sources in BJP, their legislators are ready to target the ruling Reservation can’t be based on religion: SC Farmers tie up the hand of a KSRTC bus driver, in protest against being prevented from staging an agitation near Suvarna Soudha on Monday Congress over the Waqf issue when it comes up for discussion, particularly in the Lower House. In the Council, the discussion on the Waqf issue was allowed under Rule 68 after opposition members appealed to Horatti for the same stating that many landowners, particularly farmers, have been affected by the notices of the Waqf Board, claiming its rights over their lands. Leader of Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy claimed that landowners, particularly farmers, lived in the fear of losing their lands.  P4 Religion cannot be the basis for granting reservation, the Supreme Court said on Monday , while hearing a batch of pleas, including one by the West Bengal government, challenging the Calcutta High Court’s decision to quash the Other Backward Class (OBC) classification of 77, mostly Muslim, communities. A two-judge bench of the court, led by Justice B R Gavai and Justice K V Viswanathan, observed, “Reservation cannot be on the basis of religion.” In its May 22 verdict, the high court had said, “Religion indeed appears to have been the sole criterion for declaring these communities as OBCs.” Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state government, told the court that, “This reservation is not based on religion but backwardness which has been upheld by the court. Even for Hindus, its on the basis of backwardness.” The Supreme Court adjourned the matter to January 7 for a detailed hearing. e x p r e ss r e a d ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ crosses D800 cr mark in opening weekend SC directs creation of dedicated cell to deal with mercy petitions Allu Arjun-starrer “Pushpa 2: The Rule” has earned over Rs 800 crore at the box office in the first weekend since its release, becoming the “fastest Indian film” to cross the milestone in worldwide gross collections, the makers said on Monday | P5 New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday passed directions for early disposal of mercy petitions filed by convicts, and directed that a dedicated cell shall be set up by the home department or the prison department of the state governments for the same.