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You may follow The Indian Express’s news and analysis through the day on indianexpress.com DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2020, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES SINCE 1932 `6.00 (`8 PATNA &RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 7-HOUR MEET; RAHUL QUESTIONS TIMING, ANTONY CALLS IT ‘CRUEL’ Military option on EC: Said no to police RallyingbehindSoniaandRahul, table if LACtalks over poll CWCslamsbothletteranditsspirit fail: Gen Rawat rolls data in EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE riots probe Resolution says NEWDELHI,AUGUST24 Sonia to stay chief WITH DIPLOMATIC andmilitary EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE talksonresolving the military NEWDELHI,AUGUST24 until AICC meets; standoffbetween Indian and takesnoteofletter Chinese troops along the Line of IN AN unusual request, the Delhi Actual Control in Ladakh not Police sought the digital electoral by ‘certain leaders’ makingmuchheadway,Chief of Chief of Defence Staff database of three districtsincon- DefenceStaff General Bipin nection with itsinvestigation RawatMondaysaid India has into theNortheast Delhi riots MANOJCG “militaryoptions”available, but other round of militarytalks earlier this year,but did notpur- NEWDELHI,AUGUST24 these will beusedonlyiftalksfail. with China to tryand breakthe suethe matterafter the Election This is the firsttime that a stalemateoverdisengagement Commission (EC) deniedaccess AFTER the seven-hour-long senior militaryofficer hasspo- of troops in Pangong Tsoand the andoffered physicalinspection stormymeeting of itsWorking kenpubliclyonthe “transgres- GograPostarea. of voters’ listinstead, TheIndian Committee on Monday, the sions by the Chinese” and the op- LastSaturday, Defence Express haslearnt. Congress acknowledgedthe let- At the CWCvirtual meeting in NewDelhi on Monday. ANI tion of militaryforce to deal with MinisterRajnath Singh held a According to aletterreleased tersent to presidentSonia Gandhi the border crisis in Ladakh. meeting with NSAAjit Doval, by activistSaket Gokhale on by 23 senior leaders callingfor GeneralRawat told the ANI General Rawatand the three Monday, the Delhi Police sought sweeping changes in the party news agency that “the military services chiefs. the database in March to match butneitherdiscussedits contents Underfire,dissenters stand firm, options to deal with transgres- India has been demanding the photographs of voters in nor gave anyspecific commit- sions by theChinese armyin status quoante—oftroops on Shahdara, North-Eastand East mentsonthe wayforward. Ladakh areon, but it willbeexer- both sides returning to locations Delhi districtswith the “photo- Instead, mostofthose pres- cisedonlyifthe talksatthe mil- before thestandoff.Failing to graphs of culpritscaptured ent at the meeting slammedthe later dial down to waitand watch itaryand diplomaticlevels fail”. achieve abreakthrough, India throughCCTVand other video 23, questionedand criticisedthe His statement comes even as has begun preparing forex- footage” available with the intent and the timing of their let- misinterpretations, whichled to the government prepares foran- tendeddeployment on the LAC. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 terevenastheypledged loyalty MANOJCG some uncharitable comments ED to the Sonia-Rahul familyand NEWDELHI,AUGUST24 made againstus. Idemanded Allgive, CONTINUEDONPAGE2 that it should be made available PLAIN E ● sometake STANDINGFIRM in the face of to everyone and releasedtothe EX An apologywill be contempt of sharp attacks at the Congress public so that people knowwhat BUSINESSASUSUAL Working Committee meeting the issues are,” Sharmasaid. FORTHE 23 leaders, the Monday, GhulamNabi Azad, Referring to the CWCe- key takeaway from the my conscience: BhushantoSC BY UNNY Anand Sharma, MukulWasnik meeting, he said: “Azad, Wasnik CWCisthe acknowledge- and Jitin Prasada—the four CWC Tharoor arrivesatAzad’s and Iput forthour views.The ment of their letter and Supreme Court, filedonhis be- members who were among the residence afterCWC. ANI Congress president’sconcluding Sonia’s statement of no ANANTHAKRISHNANG half by advocateKamini Jaiswal, 23 leaders to sign the unprece- statement wasmostgracious, ill-will.But the CWCand NEWDELHI,AUGUST24 The case Bhushansaid “in these troubling dentedletterwrittentoparty giving aclear messageofrecon- party ralliedbehindthe comes up times, the hopes of the people of president Sonia Gandhi —ar- Sharma told The Indian Express ciliation, saying let whatever has Gandhis, ensured that ADVOCATE PRASHANT Bhushan, before SC India vest in this Courttoensure guedforcefullythatthe issues that “the co-signatorieswere happenedbebehind us and let’s deadlinefor achange or a who has been convicted by the today the rule of lawand the raisedbythemneeddiscussion keen to knowaboutthe deliber- be united andmoveforward.She mechanism to address is- Supreme Courtinacriminalcon- Constitution” and “notanun- andredressal, TheIndian Express ations” and that “everybody is said even if Iwas hurtbyaleak sues notput on record. temptofcourt case over two trammeled rule of theexecu- has learnt. satisfied”. of some excerpts,theseare my tweets postedinJune, and told to ogy forexpressionofthese be- tive”. Soon afterthe meeting,at “It wasafreeand frank dis- valuedcolleagues. We respect tender an unconditional apology liefs, conditional or uncondi- The matter has been listed leastnine of the signatories, in- cussion (in the CWC). The docu- her andthis hasbrought it to a At theCWC meeting earlier, by Monday, hasdeclinedto do so. tional, would be insincere” and Tuesday"foreffect of supple- cluding Sharma, Kapil Sibal, ment (letter)was notavailable very amicable closure.” Another the signatories made it clearthat He said thetweets“repre- “contempt of my conscience”. mentarystatement". Manish Tewari and Shashi forall CWCmembers.There signatorysaid:“We need to wait theywerenot againstSonia or sented”a“bonafide belief that I In asupplementarystate- Bhushan washeld guilty on Tharoor,met at Azad’s residence. were alot of misreadings and and watchhow this pans out.” CONTINUEDONPAGE2 continue to hold” and “an apol- ment Mondaybeforethe CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Unlock 4.0: Delhi Metro may start, schools to stay shut EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE NEWDELHI,AUGUST24 1KILLED,70MISSING THE METROservice in Delhi Afive-storeybuilding, housing45families, collapsedinMahad in Raigad districtof NCR, suspendedsinceMarch 22 MaharashtraonMondayevening. Rescue effortswereontill latenight. PTI REPORT, PAGE13 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak,islikelytoresumein September in alimitedmanner. An official of the Ministryof Home Affairs said Mondaythat Puri: Expect bulk of air HK experts aplantooperate theservice at 50 per cent capacity,with strict find case of enforcement of social distancing traffic backbyDiwali and hygiene norms, is being con- sidered. Minister of re-infection, The announcement on the ENSECONOMICBUREAU Aviation, resumption of the Metroservice NEWDELHI,AUGUST24 Housing and in 4months in the NCR, the official said, may Urban Affairs form partofUnlock-4guidelines MUCHOFthe pre-Coviddomes- at the Idea expected in the coming days. tic air passenger trafficcould be Exchange APOORVAMANDAVILLI Stategovernments, the offi- restored by Diwali,Minister of NEWYORK,AUGUST24 cial said, arestill notinfavour of Statefor Civil Aviation reopening schools and colleges, (Independent Charge)Hardeep 5,000 aweek.WithMumbai RESEARCHERS IN Hong Kong so the restrictions on educa- Singh Puri said on Monday. hopefullyhaving Covid numbers have reportedthe firstcon- tional institutions arelikelyto The Centrewillallow more under control, the graph stable firmedcase of reinfection with continue. flightsfromlocations and coming down, the novelcoronavirus. “The government is also not such as Mumbai and I’m hopingthatafter “An apparentlyyoung and yetinfavourofre-opening mul- Kolkata, whichhave the GaneshChaturthi healthy patienthad asecond tiplexesbecause of the closed hadrestrictedopera- celebrations, we will case of Covid-19 infection which environment,and swimming tions so far, Purisaid. open up Mumbai wasdiagnosed4.5 months after pools,” the official said. “The figure(of do- more; Bengaluru, the firstepisode,”Universityof Entertainment parks,the- mestic passengers) Kolkatawillbealittle Hong Kong researchers said in a atres, bars, auditoriums,assem- yesterdaywas 98,800,sowehave less sporadic. We willbelooking statement on Monday. blyhalls andsimilar placesare already reached33% of pre-Covid to touchthe 50% markbeforetoo The reportisofconcern be- also notlikelytoreopen in the numbers.Weare increasingdo- long,” Puri said at an online Idea cause it suggests that immunity next phase of Unlock.Theban on mestic passengersatthe rate of CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 KARNATAKA LIFTS ALLTRAVEL CURBS PAGE 9 Migrants back, women’s share in NREGS dips to 8-year low INDIA SWITZERLAND PAGE 1 52.46per cent during the first percentagepointsfromlastyear. ARED initiativeappears ANCHOR five months of thisfinancial year, Thereare about 13.34crore in today’s edition of according