Front Page
For the second day in a row, and on the second day of the new year, mainstream newspapers Thursday carry different leads. Hindustan Times chooses newly-appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat’s “first public comments” as its lead. The Hindu goes with ISRO’s plans on upcoming space projects Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan-3. The Indian Express leads with GST collections rising above the Rs 1 lakh crore mark, for the second month in a row. The Times of India, in an uncharacteristically short front page, focuses on Delhi — more than 5.5 lakh New Year revellers choked the city’s traffic Wednesday.
Business Standard leads with some good news about the economy — investment in new projects surged by more than Rs 1 trillion.
CDS General Bipin Rawat: HT reports that General Rawat has said “he would work towards creating theatre commands to prepare the military for future battles, adding that India’s armed forces need not necessarily imitate models devised by western militaries for this”. Express carries a photograph of General Rawat along with Army Chief General M.M. Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria.
Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan-3: “Four pilots from the Indian Air Force will leave for Russia this month to receive training as astronauts of Gaganyaan, the first Indian crewed flight to space,” writes Hindu. In an accompanying graphic, the newspaper notes that ISRO has planned 25 missions for the year 2020. Express reports that “to complete the unfinished job of Chandrayaan-2… [ISRO] will send another moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, either this year or the next, and make a fresh attempt at landing on the lunar surface”.
Rise in GST collections: Express notes that after “two consecutive months of contraction in September and October” GST collections in December “rose over the Rs 1-lakh crore mark, a growth of 8.9 per cent year-over-year”.
Hindu writes that this signals a “trend of recovery” but adds that the amount “still falls short of the ambitious Rs 1.1 lakh crore monthly target the central government set last month for the remainder of the fiscal year”.
Anti-CAA protests in UP: In an exclusive report, which it calls “a tale of two FIRs”, Express highlights the “glaring gaps in the response of the Uttar Pradesh Police” to anti-CAA protests. It notes that one FIR is against 17 people for alleged rioting, in which the police “meticulously documented details of the alleged violence, the timeline of events, and slapped seven separate charges” on the accused.
On the other hand, another FIR, related to the killing of 23-year-old Mohammed Sheroz, “is devoid of any detail, is completely silent on the murder — and just one section under the IPC has been slapped”.
Others
Business Standard reports that new projects rose by “37.4 per cent on a year-on-year basis to Rs 4.26 trillion in December last year”. It adds that the proportion of “stalled projects” is also down by 81.8 per cent to Rs 58,000 crore.
HT is the only one to carry a report on Bhima Koregaon and writes that “two years after an event that symbolises Dalit pride was rocked by violence, at least one million people joined the anniversary celebrations of a British-era war in Maharashtra’s Bhima Koregaon village on Wednesday”. It adds that this time senior government functionaries also joined in “following a change of guard in the state”.
Opinion
The Times of India: In ‘Kota’s Death Trap’, TOI writes that “India’s poor continue to be criminally let down by decrepit public services”. The 91 deaths in Kota, Rajasthan were preceded by similar instances when Bihar lost 150 children to acute encephalitis syndrome outbreak last year and 63 children children died at the BRD Hospital in Gorakhpur in 2017.
The incident in Kota can be attributed to the usual lack of medical equipment and “broken window panes, doors and gates, roaming pigs, and ailing children at the mercy of extreme weather conditions”. The article focuses on an absolute lack of accountability and the predictable blame game that has ensued between Congress and BJP since political parties are more focused on farm loan waivers and economic slowdown. It concludes by saying: “Kota’s reputation as India’s IIT coaching factory and the existence of decaying government facilities like in the JK Lon Hospital represent the stark contrasts in India’s development story.”
The Hindu: In ‘A Persisting Variance’, The Hindu points out that NITI Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals 2019 reveal how even better performing states have not achieved much in gender equality. The paper also highlights other indices such as “eradication of poverty, good health and well being” where Indian states have failed.
Noting that the report doesn’t give any new information, it reiterates how Southern states have, as always, performed better than their Northern and Northeastern counterparts. Offering a solution, the article concludes: “States need to climb a mountain to achieve gender equality, but immediate steps such as enhancing women’s participation in governance through parliamentary reservations would go a long way in addressing several of the issues faced by them.”
Prime Time
The appointment of the new CDS and the opposition’s questioning of Rawat’s appointment dominated prime time debates Wednesday. “Why is Gen Rawat’s appointment making Congress nervous,” asked Arnab Goswami on Republic TV.
On CNN News 18, anchor Shreya Dhoundial asked if the new CDS will add more “josh” to anti-terror operations. Hindi channels discussed “Islamisation” of the anti-CAA protests.
India TV: Anchor Saurav Sharma discussed the anti-CAA protests and how Indian Muslims are addressing it. Pakistani author Tarek Fateh said these protests have become “Islamist with all these religious slogans”.
Political analyst Zafar Sareshwala reiterated that Indian Muslims don’t have to be scared of the amended Citizenship Act and accused BJP of misleading. “Modi ji is trying to reach out to people but his party members are creating more fear.”
BJP’s Sambit Patra declared that the protests were no longer inclusive. “It excludes a big section of people and aims at making it a religion-driven protest which is dangerous”.
NDTV India: As IIT-Kanpur created a new committee to check if the verses of ‘Hum Dekhenge’ by Faiz is anti-Hindu, anchor Naghma Sehar on prime time discussed why it was an issue.
Executive Editor Priyadarshan praised the power of a poet’s words. “It is the poetry of which ruling establishments get scared…and not the word of God. This song scared Zia-ul-Haq in Pakistan decades ago…it’s still relevant.”
Journalist Kamal Khan said: “Tomorrow, anyone can come and set up a committee to find out if Shakespeare’s Hamlet was anti-Hindu. Those questioning him should have first Googled him.”
Political analyst Sanjeev Tiwari said this was IIT-Kanpur’s internal matter and the government cannot interfere in it.
Times Now: On ‘India Upfront’ Rahul Shivshankar asks why ‘Jai Sri Ram’ is a ‘war cry’ but Islamic slogans are dissent.
Tasleem Rahmani of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) announced that he will renounce and dissociate himself from religious sloganeering. “This is a movement to save our Constitution and nothing else.”
Author A.R. Ranganathan said, “No amount of singing the national anthem can whitewash the supremacist and bigoted Islamic slogans being shouted on the streets by anti-CAA protestors.”
India Today: On ‘To The Point’, anchor Gaurav Sawant asks: “Why is the opposition questioning the appointment of CDS?”
Ravi Srivastava, political analyst, reminded that the Subramainyam committee had recommended the CDS’ appointment earlier for better coordination: “If it was so critical, why didn’t the committee take action immediately…it adds suspicion that the government was looking for a person who will be on his political line and appointed him.”
BJP’s Sambit Patra responded to the allegations, saying General Rawat has himself answered that the Army was apolitical. “If we keep on dragging the army into the political arena , then it’s dangerous.”
Defence expert Lt Gen S.A. Hasnain didn’t find General Rawat’s comment on anti-CAA protesters political. “He made general comments about leadership, I don’t think he was being political at all.”
Opposing everything that an elected Govt.does is disrespecting people s will in a democracy.Deliberately creating confusion by so called intelligentia of opposition political parties is more dangerous.CAA & NRC r essential for the country.Let’s all support without bias.