Front Page
A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi refused to hear the Ayodhya Ram temple issue early and “ordered listing of appeals before an ‘appropriate bench’ in the first week of January 2019 to fix a date for hearing”, reports The Indian Express in its front-page lead report.
The Telegraph leads with the report as well, with the headline, “Temple tantrums: Clamour for Ayodhya law as SC refuses early hearing”.
The Times of India, meanwhile, started its report with the order’s potential significance for the 2019 Lok Sabha election: “Drastically reducing the chances of a verdict on the sensitive Ayodhya dispute before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections…” starts its report, also the front-page lead.
Nearly all the newspapers have put on their front page the demand from Sangh affiliates for a law to contruct the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Congress leader and former home minister P. Chidambaram, meanwhile, criticised the BJP for politicising the Ram temple issue before every election.
Hindustan Times hailed the Supreme Court order in an editorial, writing, “The SC has done well to push the Ayodhya decision to next year.” “A pro-mandir verdict would have energised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its affiliates and supporters. An unfavourable verdict would have given them an opportunity to polarise the electorate,” it added.
The biggest news today around the world, however, was the crash of an Indonesian plane minutes after take-off Monday, with all the 189 people on-board suspected dead. On the front page of The Indian Express is a moving photo of Sangeeta Suneja, the mother of the plane’s Indian pilot Bhavye, praying to God.
“Plane crash ripples in Delhi” read The Telegraph headline, while The Times of India reported that Suneja was in talks with an Indian carrier to return to the country.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on RBI governor Urjit Patel, who will be in Delhi Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC), the apex body of financial regulators.
The meeting becomes more significant amid the ongoing turf battle between the government and the RBI, as the council has as members government representatives as well as the RBI governor.
Tensions between the government and the RBI have escalated of late, with RBI deputy governor Viral Acharya recently making news for criticising the government for “impinging on the autonomy” of the RBI.
The Times of India reports on its front page that the government has decided not to react to the “RBI’s ‘unilateral aggression’”. The Hindu reports that the finance ministry and the RBI are not interacting, saying tension was palpable at the 23 October board meeting with “only three out of 20 items on the agenda discussed in 8 hours, no consensus reached”.
Business Standard weighs in on the discord in an editorial, writing, “Surely a public display of disaffection will help the credibility of neither. History suggests that the government-RBI team delivers the best when it functions like a joint family: Disagree internally if you must and resolve the thorny issues through consultation, but present a united front to the outside world.”
India and Japan vowed to strengthen their bilateral relationship as Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his two-day visit to Japan Monday. “Defence ties dominate summit talks,” The Hindu reports, while The Economic Times hailed the currency swap arrangement of $75 billion with the headline “India-Japan Pact: RBI Warchest Gets a $75-b Windfall”. Business Standard terms the swapping arrangement a move “to shore up the rupee and address current account deficit (CAD) woes”. The two countries have also agreed to start ‘2+2’ talks involving defence and external affairs ministers.
Prime Time
Will Centre bring ordinance to build Ram Temple?
India Today anchor Gaurav C. Sawant discussed whether the central government will use the ordinance route to build the Ram temple.
BJP national secretary R.P. Singh said, “The opposition will always try to bring in hurdles so that the construction of Mandir is delayed. The BJP is waiting for the court to take a call on the issue.”
Muslim Political Council of India chief Tasleem Rehmani replied, “The entire Muslim community is waiting for the order of the court and will obey whatever the verdict is.”
Ayodhya again
On Aaj Tak, anchor Anjana Om Kashyap discussed whether the Ayodhya dispute was “providing oxygen to politics”.
VHP spokesperson Sriraj Nair said, “Crores of Hindus are sad due to the ruling of the court to postpone the decision till January. We want the government to pass an ordinance and make the temple.”
Muslim Political Council of India president Tasleem Rehmani said, “The BJP is a traitor to the Hindu community; they are just raking up the mandir issue in order to garner votes for the 2019 elections.”
News it’s just kinda cool to know
Chinese researchers have reportedly made a palm-sized robot that can shift shape and repair itself if damaged, Daily Mail reports.