Prime Time
Tuesday belonged to Rafale. News channels were dominated by coverage of the build up to the delivery of the first Rafale jet, Rajnath Singh’s Shastra puja and his subsequent sortie in the aircraft – `#RafaleOurPride’ as Republic called it.
Prime Minister Modi at Ramlila celebrations in Dwarka, Delhi was also given some screen time, as was Home Minister Amit Shah’s campaign in Maharashtra.
Earlier in the day, the headlines belonged to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s Vijay Dashmi speech in which he said ‘lynching’ was a foreign concept.
Times Now: On ‘India Upfront’ with Rahul Shivshankar, Bhagwat’s speech on the RSS’s 94th foundation day was the debating point.
Author Shubhrastha said, “It is one thing to talk about hate crimes and another to completely politicise it for a global agenda.”
“I agree with him that lynching is an alien concept,” she added.
Senior journalist Saba Naqvi said, “Lynchings happen all over India. But they have certainly happened over cows and certain ideological persuasions, with people who ‘happen’ to be Muslims.”
“This is a post-truth world. Mr. Bhagwat can say what he likes,” she remarked.
BJP spokesperson Pragya Charu said, “This propaganda of supposed lynching has not worked. We should put it to rest.”
NDTV 24×7: Anchor Vishnu Som, on ‘Left, Right, and Centre’, discussed what Rafale meant for the Air Force.
Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Krishnaswamy said, “It carries a very large weapon load and goes long distances.” He added that “…it is the first aircraft that has a swing roll, which means that while in the air it can change over from strike to air defence.”
Air Comrade (retd.) H. Basra said, Rafale is a maintenance dream come true – “Everything is readily available. It has self-testing computers that tell you which parts need to be replaced.”
ABP News: The Rafale debate, here, featured a Hindu guru.
Anchor Anuraag Muskaan, comparing Rajnath Singh to Laxman and Narendra Modi to Ram, said, “Rajnath Singh is in France to get the ‘Sanjivni booti’ (referring to Rafale) and in India Narendra Modi is ready to destroy Ravana”.
Acharya Govind Vallabh Shastri provided commentary on the importance of the puja performed by Singh in France: “Today is Tuesday, which makes it even more auspicious. The coconut kept on the Rafale would appear as a ‘bomb’ to the enemy countries,” he said, jokingly.
Maj. Gen. K.K. Sinha (retd.) said: “We were supposed to get it by 2008-09… we are late by two decades. The process of complete integration will take place by 2023. But it’s better to be late than never.”
Zee News: The channel went live in the RSS headquarters in Nagpur for its debate. RSS ideologues discussed Bhagwat’s speech and nationalism.
Leena Gahane said that no true Indian would ever shy away from declaring “Bharat ki jai’’. “People who try to divide on the basis of caste and religion, only they are afraid of the country’s progress,” she added.
On lynchings, Sunil Kitkaru said: “These incidents are few in numbers… some people want to create and sustain an atmosphere of anarchy and portray Hindus in a bad light.”
Virag Panchpore bashed the liberals, “sickulars” and the Left gang saying these are the people who don’t believe in their own country. “Their centre of faith lies somewhere outside India… that is why they cannot respect this nation.”
Front Page
On Wednesday, Page 1 of Hindustan Times, The Times of India and The Hindu lead with the news of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who received the first Rafale jet at the factory of Dassault Aviation in Merignac, France. They also prominently display photographs of him performing shastra puja on the first Rafale jet.
Surprisingly, The Indian Express restricts its coverage on Page 1 to a photograph of Singh before his sortie on the jet.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also makes it to the front page for his remarks on lynching.
Rafale deal: In all the fanfare over the Rafale, Hindu notes that the “first batch of the [Rafale] jets will arrive in India only in May 2020.” It quotes Defence Minister Rajnath Singh – “I believe Rafale will boost India’s air dominance exponentially to ensure peace and security in the region.”
HT says that the Rafale fighter jet was “handed over” as “part of a Rs 59,000 crore deal for 36 warplanes.” It adds that the jets have been “specially tailored for IAF.”
Mohan Bhagwat: The RSS chief’s Vijay Dashmi speech receives extensive coverage, and the mainstream press chooses to highlight his remarks about lynching. Express writes, “Lynching not an Indian word, bid to defame country, says RSS chief,” TOI says, “‘Lynching’ alien construct, don’t use it to defame India: Bhagwat,” while HT underlines a different aspect, “RSS backs govt on economy; says lynching a western idea,” Hindu keeps it simple with the headline – “Lynching alien to India, says Bhagwat.”
Mohan Bhagwat “warned of a ‘conspiracy’ and said ‘efforts are underway to defame our country and the entire Hindu society and create fear among so-called minority communities’”, reports Express.
TOI points out that Bhagwat “condemned the growing trend of killings by mobs even as he maintained that the incidents were not ‘one-sided’.”
HT is concerned with Bhagwat’s remarks on the economy and writes that he “tried to blunt the criticism of the government’s policies by stating the Centre is sensitive towards the economy and has taken certain steps, and it is the responsibility of everyone to contribute to the nation’s progress.”
Kejriwal: Aam Aadmi Party “attacked” PM Modi for the Centre’s “decision to withhold sanction for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to attend the C40 Cities Climate Summit in Copenhagen,” reports Hindu. “CM Kejriwal denied political clearance to attend C-40 Summit in Denmark, AAP says it will affect India’s image,” says TOI on its banner. HT also reports the news on the fold.
Others: Express second lead is on the forthcoming visit of the Chinese President: “Thaw in chill, Beijing to Delhi: Xi’s visit is on,” to report the confirmation of the India-China informal summit. “Ending days of suspense over the fate of the proposed” summit, Beijing “has officially confirmed to New Delhi about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India on 11 and 12 October.” In its `Explained’ box, Express writes, Xi Jinping’s visit “may be on but Delhi has its diplomatic task cut out – as long as Kashmir and Pakistan are the two key issues at the high table that any guest will have to deal with.”
TOI reports that the Centre is “mulling an ambitious plan to create a 1,400km long and 5km wide green belt from Gujarat to Delhi-Haryana border” in order to “combat climate change and desertification.”
Express and TOI also note that Maulana Asim Umer, the leader of Al-Qaeda was “killed last month in a joint operation by US and Afghan forces.” (Express)
Opinion
HT: With the growth of the Sangh’s political power, its annual Vijaya Dashmi speech has “assumed particular salience,” writes HT. The newspaper lists four “key strands” from RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s speech on Tuesday. First, his “reflection of the convergence between” the Sangh and the BJP-led government. Second, Bhagwat’s reaffirmation of Swadeshi economics – “a protectionist view” boosting national productive assets. Third, Bhagwat’s message on the Hindu rashtra, which HT writes that this message “needs to be more effectively” conveyed as “the workers on the ground” are led to believe that “India is a country where Hindus have primary rights.” Fourth, his condemnation of lynching and “enforcing the rule of law is important.” HT suggests that the RSS must “translate Mr Bhagwat’s message of peace and harmony on the ground.”
Hindu: In “Advantage BJP”, Hindu writes that the ruling BJP “has reinforced itself and disoriented the opposition” in the upcoming assembly elections. The supremacy of BJP in Maharashtra, “is partly due to national factors,” but the fact that its “Hindutva nationalist politics has trumped the Sena’s regional agenda is itself noteworthy.” It observes that “ruthless efficiency remains the hallmark of the BJP,” while the “NCP-Congress combine is battling internal dissent, organisational disintegration and an unfavourable social climate.” Hindu states that “grand intentions” of the NCP-Congress alliance are “hardly inspiring because of the popular apathy towards dynastic politics.” It wraps up by claiming that Maharashtra is the “perfect stage for an ascendant BJP that is promising to bring down the old order.”