SOUTH KOREA PUT UNDER MARTIAL LAW BHUBANESWAR  WEDNESDAY  DECEMBER 04, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION HOURS after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law— to protect the country from North Korea’s ‘communist forces’—the country’s parliament voted to lift it. It’s unclear what effect the vote will have, though the president is obliged to comply. In the picture, soldiers try to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul on Tuesday after the declaration of martial law | AFP | P9 Yoon Suk Yeol, S Korean Prez 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 Improvement in BJP weighs new proposal to split India-China ties, the home cake to appease Shinde says Jaishankar S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai Disengagement process complete; next step is de-escalation in massing of troops on LAC P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi THE conclusion of disengagement in Eastern Ladakh, achieved through a step-by-step process, will allow both countries to pursue other aspects of bilateral engagements in a calibrated manner, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday Making a statement on India. China ties in the Lok Sabha, Jaishankar said the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas would be the basis for the relationship moving forward. Jaishankar’s statement in Parliament, the first since the India and China reached an agreement to disengage from the two remaining friction points of Depsang Plains and Demchok, came a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia’s Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. Prior to the meeting, both countries had firmed up an agreement on patrolling by their militaries along the Line of Actual Control. The minister also said that in his recent meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, they reached an understanding that the Special Representatives- and the Foreign Secretary-level mechanisms will be convened soon. With disengagement complete, he said the next priority is de-escalation, which would address the massing of troops along the LAC. India is committed, he said, to engaging with China “through bilateral talks to arrive at a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable settlement”. Underlining the three key principles that must be observed under all circumstances, he said both sides should strictly respect the LAC, neither side should attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo, and agreements reached in the past must be abided by in their entirety . We are clear that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas is a prerequisite for the development of our ties S Jaishankar BORDER VIGIL TO CONTINUE While substantial progress has been achieved in defusing face-offs, the management of border areas will require further attention in light of India’s recent experiences, Jaishankar said SENIOR BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday called on aggrieved caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at the latter’s official residence to resolve the deadlock over portfolio allocation ahead of the swearing in ceremony of the Mahayuti government in a couple of days. In 2019, Fadnavis missed the bus to become CM as he dithered in calling up the undivided Shiv Sena’s leader Uddhav Thackeray to iron out wrinkles in their alliance. By the time he came around to doing so, Uddhav had hardened his position and refused to take the call. Fadnavis tried to avoid that misstep this time around. He is set to be sworn in as CM after he is ‘elected’ the BJP legislative party leader on Wednesday . As per the current plan, Fadnavis would retain home while the finance portfolio will go to Ajit Pawar (NCP) and urban development to the Shiv Sena. The BJP will also hold the revenue portfolio as also the positions of Speaker and the Chairman of the legislative council. The NCP will get the Deputy Speaker’s post while the Sena will get the post of Deputy Chairman of the legislative council. Of the 43 ministries up for grabs, BJP will get 21-22, NCP 9-11 and Sena 10-12. But since Shinde is particular about home, the BJP is weighing the possibility of bifurcating it so that both parties get a share of the powerful portfolio. Shinde has also demanded the Speaker’s position. The BJP wants Shinde to take up the deputy chief minister’s post along with some key portfolios but he is yet to yield. Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar said Shinde is a tall leader, so the BJP should treat him with respect by allocating weighty portfolios. Shinde underwent a medical test at a hospital, where all parameters were found to be normal. DGP & IGP CONFERENCE Plight of drug addiction-affected families left PM Modi emotional! S I B A M O H A N T Y @ Bhubaneswar PRIME Minister Narendra Modi is known for his strident stand against narcotics and has set the target for a drugfree India by 2047 but his profound concern for plight of families struggling with addiction of their young children came to fore in the recently-concluded DGP and IGP conference in Bhubaneswar. Sources said the PM got emotional when he recalled an episode of his Gujarat CM days while chairing the session on narcotics and drugs at the DGP meet here on Sunday During the session, Modi . keenly followed all the presentations of states as well as deliberations on broad measures of enforcement and awareness to combat the alarming impact of drug addiction. His take on the issue was, however, completely different. “The PM’s perspective on the issue was very humane. He dwelt on the emotional and psychological suffering and pain the drug addiction-affected families have to deal with, especially when a youngster is the victim,” said the sources. While offering his comments on the session, Modi revealed how a senior officer of Gujarat government had once approached him seeking voluntary retirement from service. At first, he discouraged the officer on the grounds that he was a good administrator and would not be sanctioned VRS, CONTINUED ON P5 the sources said. B’desh raps India envoy over Agartala vandalism Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi The PM’s perspective on the issue was very humane. He dwelt on the emotional and psychological suffering and pain the families have to deal with Sources BANGLADESH on Tuesday summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma in Dhaka to register its protest over a mob breaching the premises of its Assistant High Commission in Tripura’s Agartala the previous day . The country also suspended all visa and consular service at Agartala with immediate effect. The development marked a new low in ties between the two nations after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina from power. India has already arrested seven individuals and suspended three police personnel in connection with the vandalism in Agartala. Verma met Bangladesh’s Acting Foreign Secretary Riaz Hamidullah in Dhaka and later described the interaction as routine. “We have wide ranging relationship, multi faceted relationship. We want to build positive, stable, constructive relationship. We have so many inter dependencies,” Verma said after the meeting. Meanwhile, bail was denied to jailed ISKCON priest Chinmoy Das. Since no lawyer appeared for him, the next date of hearing was set as January 2. Das’ supporters claimed that his advocates were under threat.