Front Page
Today is Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, father of the nation, and PM Modi’s “inspiration” behind the Swachh Bharat Mission, which completes four years today. It would seem fitting that he wrote an op-ed dedicated to “beloved Bapu” if it weren’t for his outright refusal to interact with the media at large. But here’s what’s worthy of a double take: Not only did Modi write an op-ed, a rarity to begin with, but published it word to word in both Hindustan Times and the Times of India. Perhaps it isn’t a coincidence that it reads like an advertisement for Swachh Bharat ahead of the 2019 elections. “Today we have a similar opportunity to build the India of Gandhiji’s dreams,” reads the subhead of the Times’ addition.
After praising the Mahatma for his efforts towards inclusion, his courage in the face of authority, and his dedication to cleanliness, Modi doesn’t miss the opportunity to chime and offer comments about his own mission, writing, “Over the last four years, 130 crore Indians have paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi in the form of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Completing four years today, it has emerged as a vibrant mass movement with commendable outcomes”.
The Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS), earlier condemned to solemn headlines as it floundered and tried to stay afloat amid the weight of debts it had accrued (Rs 90,000 crore, to be precise), has been given a fresh shot at survival as the “Govt steps in, names a new board for IL&FS”.
Approaching the National Companies Law Tribunal, the Modi government requested taking over the firm’s management. According to The Times of India, “The tribunal directed the new board to meet before October 8 and submit a roadmap for resolution by the next hearing on October 31. The board is likely to elect Uday Kotak as chairman with sources indicating that he would be able to use his network to work out a financial resolution plan.”
Several newspapers are convinced the IL&FS takeover is “reminiscent” of another rare moment in Indian business history when the government took over Satyam Computers in 2009. But the subhead for TOI’s leading piece on the matter grimly reads, ‘Some ousted directors may be barred from leaving India’.
What also made front page news today is CJI Dipak Misra’s farewell. His next-in-line, Ranjan Gogoi — the same who, in January of this year came out to the press to express dissatisfaction with the way the courts were being run — praised his predecessor, which according to The Telegraph, “was seen as a gracious gesture upholding the judiciary’s highest standard.”
In an op-ed titled ‘Farewell, welcome’, The Indian Express wrote of his recent string of judgments, “But their salutary effect has been in shifting public attention back from the individual judge to the reassuring assertion and resilience of the institution.”
Meanwhile, farmers have gathered in protest yet again in a relentless fight for their rights to land, equipment, and subsidies — but as more time passes since the enormous farmer’s protests in Maharashtra in March this year, stories like this one are being relegated further back in the newspapers.
Hindustan Times is the only one to put it on its front page, adjacent to the news of the outgoing CJI. No longer are farmers welcome to the city, as a headline reads, “NH24 blocked as farmers arrive at Delhi’s doorstep”. Nearly 30,000 farmers are making their way to the Capital, says TOI, by refusing to call off the rally despite efforts to stop it.
Prime Time
“Did Uttar Police hushed up Apple techie murder?” India Today anchor Rahul Kanwal asked. The Apple employee, Vivek Tiwari, was allegedly shot dead in “self-defense” by a policeman who was on patrol duty Friday night (28 September). While Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera tried to blame the Uttar Pradesh government, BJP leader Shaina NC tried to play down the incident.
Pawan Khera said, “This is another quality of governance we are witnessing in Uttar Pradesh.”
Shaina NC commented, “I would be foolish to defend the wrongdoing of an administrative officer if there is enough evidence to suggest that there has been messing up of the FIRs.”
‘Protectors turned perpetrators of crime’: CNN News 18 anchor Marya Shakil asked the question — if our protectors have become the perpetrators of crime. Vivek Tiwari, an Apple executive, was allegedly shot dead by a UP policeman on 28 September. Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said that police have become an instrument of fear while BJP leader Shalabh Mani Tripathi mentioned that the government is standing with the victim’s family.
Sanjay Jha said, “Today the police have become an instrument of fear. Mr. Tiwari seems to have panicked when the police came to ask him something.”
Shalabh Mani Tripathi commented, “It is very unfortunate and saddening incident, BJP is standing with the victim’s family.”
News it’s just kinda cool to know
According to a report in science news portal EurekAlert, a new paper has revealed that some plant invaders could help fight climate change by making it easier for ecosystems to store ‘blue carbon’ — the carbon stored in coastal environments such as salt marshes, mangroves, and seagrasses. The paper, published in Global Change Biology, is the first meta-analysis to look exclusively at marine habitats when tackling the issue of invasions and carbon storage.