Front Page
Reporting on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, The Times of India leads with the headline “On 26/11 anniv, India tells Pak to give up double standards”. The contrast can’t be more glaring as it has used the picture of Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh laying the foundation stone for Dera Baba Nanak-Kartarpur corridor. Hindustan Times has put the two side by side on its front page with the headlines: “Pak must deliver justice on 26/11, warn India, US”; “Cong vs Akalis, CM vs Pak at Kartarpur event”.
The Indian Express leads with the headline “Memorial and a new foundation”. Reporting the prime minister’s rally, Express writes, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a tough message Monday to Pakistan, saying “India will never forget 26/11” and “we are looking for an opportunity” to bring its perpetrators to justice.”
In a major development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed a Delhi court Monday that “the Centre has granted sanction for prosecution of the senior Congress leader in the Aircel-Maxis case,” reports The Times of India. Nearly all the major English dailies have put the news on their front page, the only major exception being Hindustan Times. It has pushed the news to page 17.
Reporting on the case, The Indian Express writes, “The court extended protection from arrest to Chidambaram and his son and co-accused Karti till December 18, the next date of hearing, while granting three weeks to the CBI to get sanction against some of the 17 other accused in the case.”
The landing of NASA InSight mission on Mars is also a talking point. Dr. Amitabha Ghosh, chair of the Science Operations Working Group of the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Mission, writes on the front page of The Indian Express, “Mars is no longer the tentative dream from an H G Wells novel; it is the very real destination of the 21st century, in the crosshairs of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.”
Major business news daily The Economic Times leads with the negotiations between e-commerce giant Amazon and Future Group’s Kishore Biyani. It reports, “Biyani is negotiating a wider agreement with Amazon that will provide the world’s largest online retailer the option to buy him out in the future.”
This will further the realignment currently happening in the Indian retail market. US brick and mortar retail giant Walmart acquired a 77 per cent stake this year in Indian e-commerce player Flipkart for $16 billion.
Prime Time
Republic TV anchor Arnab Goswami Monday debated whether the Pakistani government is sponsoring terrorists.
Goswami said, “Tonight I know that the pseudos want us to forgive and forget but we can neither forgive nor forget. Certainly not on the 10th anniversary of 26/11.”
Retired major Gaurav Arya said, “Pakistan is not so much as a country as a mindset. Even North Korea has a little bit of a shame.”
Pakistan based journalist Omer Altaf condoled the losses of Indian lives and said that the country is with India in fighting terrorism.
India Today, ET Now and News 18 discussed a single issue — Is India safe 10 years after 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks?
While India Today anchor Rajdeep Sardesai interviewed Mumbai police commissioner Subodh Jaiswal, ET Now anchor Supriya Shrinate and News 18 anchor Zakka Jacob held panel discussions.
“I can assure Mumbaikars that we are fully trained and committed to providing the best possible security to them. Post-2008 several steps have been taken including the creation of modern command and control centre which has increased our situational awareness,” said Jaiswal.
On ET NOW, strategic thinker Brahma Chellany told Shrinate that the immediate response to the Mumbai terror attack was the stepping up of the coastal security. But despite that, an American managed to breach the coastal security repeatedly.
Retired army officer Maroof Raza said, “We need a dedicated response team which can think like a terrorist. Don’t prepare to fight the last attack, prepare for the next one.”
News 18 anchor Zakka Jacob listened to the views of Congress spokesperson Aadil Singh Boparai and Hemant Oberoi, former chef at the Taj Mahal hotel.
Boparai said, “Terror is a monster. It is a matter of fact that Ajmal Kasab came from Pakistan.”
Oberoi said, “Overall maintaining security of the country is the most important thing.”
News its kinda cool to know
On its front page, The Times of India reports that the number of women candidates appearing for the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) entrance test has gone up by 50 per cent in the last six years. It quoted CAT convenor Sumanta Basu from IIM Calcutta, which conducted this year’s test, saying, “The IIMs are consciously giving leverage to women to increase diversity in classrooms. We want more women in our institutes.”