Everyone’s time comes, today it’s mine: Ashwin India’s premier off-spinner R Ashwin on Wednesday stunned the cricketing world by bidding adieu to his international career in the middle of the ongoing Test series against Australia. In limited-overs format, being part of the 2011 WC and 2013 Champions Trophy-winning teams would count among the highlights of his career | P11 KOLLAM l thursday l December 19, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION The 38-year-old retires as the second highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 537 scalps in 106 games, placing him only behind Anil Kumble (619 wickets) 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 Modi raps Congress over demand for Shah’s axe 13 killed as Navy boat rams ferry S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai 1 Attacks Mallikarjun Kharge claim on B R Ambedkar’s insult R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi Narendra Modi Amit Shah Mallikarjun Kharge Hours after the Congress demanded Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation on Wednesday over alleged ‘insult’ of Dr B R Ambedkar in his Rajya Sabha address the previous evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly defended him, saying Shah had instead exposed the Congress’ dark history of disrespecting the architect of the Constitution, leaving the Opposition “stung and stunned”. In a series of posts on X, Modi said, “If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think their malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken!” The day began with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanding that Modi sack Shah before midnight if the minister does not quit on his own. “If there is no resignation, there will be protests all over the country. Babasaheb belongs to everyone because he used to talk about every person of society including Dalits, the oppressed and , the deprived. He had sympathy for eve- ryone,” Kharge said. Shah had launched a broadside against the Congress in the Rajya Sabha, saying: “It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar’. If they had taken God’s name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven.” Hitting back at the Congress, the PM said, “The people of India have seen time and again how one party led by one dy, nasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Dr Ambedkar and humiliate the SC/ST communities.” Getting Ambedkar defeated in elections not once but twice; Nehru campaigning against him and making his loss a prestige issue; denying him the Bharat Ratna; and not allowing his portrait the pride of place in Parliament’s Central Hall are some of the many sins committed by the Congress, he added. In his pushback, Shah accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of forcing Kharge to go after him. “Kharge should not have supported this nefarious effort of the Congress in spreading false and distorted statements.” 2 3 1. The Navy’s speed boat that lost control and crashed into the passenger ferry Neel Kamal. 2. The ferry capsizes after the collision. 3. Passengers of the ferry being rescued | pti Thirteen people were killed after a speed boat of the Indian Navy crashed into a passenger ferry boat near the Gateway of India in Mumbai on Wednesday. There were 114 people, including five crew members, on board the ferry which was carrying passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination. Sources said 101 were rescued and admitted in various hospitals. The condition of four is critical while that of 97 others is stable. A Navy statement said its boat was undergoing engine trials when it lost control and collided with the ferry Neel Kamal off Karanja near Mumbai. The ferry capsized due to the impact of the collision. The distance between Gateway of India to Elephanta Island is 30km and it takes around 45 minutes to reach the spot. According to sources, the Navy’s boat first circled around the passenger boat and then crashed into it repeatedly causing the ferry to capsize. , A rescued passenger said the speed boat directly hit the ferry and sea water rushed into the boat. “The crew members told us to wear life-saving jackets to avoid drowning. Then the boat sank and everyone was in utter panic trying to save their lives. We struggled a lot to keep afloat. Later, fishermen and the rescue teams of the Navy and Coast Guard arrived,” he told TNIE. Govt okays Ajith Kumar’s elevation as DGP E x p ress N ews S er v i c e @T’Puram In a significant move, the cabinet on Wednesday accepted the recommendation of the highlevel screening committee to bestow DGP rank to ADGP M R Ajith Kumar, who is currently heading the Armed Police Battalion, when a vacancy arises. The 1995-batch IPS officer, who is facing a vigilance probe over alleged illegal amassing of wealth, will be promoted as DGP by July next year when a vacancy arises after the retirement of state police chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb. Also, S Suresh, who is on central deputation with the Special Protection Group, will be promoted to the DGP rank. And after K Padmakumar’s retirement on April 30, 2025, Law and Order ADGP Manoj Abraham of the 1994 batch will be elevated to the DGP rank. Ajith’s promotion will take place after that. Reacting to the development, state Congress chief K Sudhakaran alleged that the controversial officer was being promoted as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had succumbed ● More on P4 to the RSS.  EXPRESS READ Sahitya Akademi award for K Jayakumar T’Puram: Poet, author and former chief secretary K Jayakumar has been chosen for Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for his work “Pingalakeshini”. The award is in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and an amount of J1 lakh | P7