Monday, 18 November: Dainik Jagran writes that the decision of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) to file a review petition on the Ayodhya judgment will create more strife — “kalah ka rasta” — and won’t bring a closure to the matter.
The decision comes after the main litigant Iqbal Ansari has accepted the judgment and refused to be a party to the review petition. AIMPLB has also refused to accept the 5-acre land awarded by the Supreme Court, saying Ayodhya already has 27 mosques.
Amar Ujala reflects on the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the Sri Lankan President. By electing him, Sri Lankans have chosen Sinhala Buddhist nationalism. But 15 years of economic distress, this year’s Easter bombings, political polarisation and a dwindling tourism industry make these elections very important, it writes. Now Gotabaya has to meet the economic and security challenges. For India, it is a matter of concern that a Rajapaksa has come to power as it will mean China would increase its influence even more in the island nation, it adds.
Tuesday, 19 November: Amar Ujala writes that the Winter Session of Parliament has begun and it will be a tricky one for the ruling NDA government. In the last session, the state of Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two union territories and the government managed to pass crucial bills like triple talaq.
It is expected that Parliament will be run with the same efficiency, though this seems much more difficult with it having to form an alliance government in Haryana and Shiv Sena breaking ranks in Maharashtra. The Citizenship Amendment Bill is one of the most crucial legislative businesses in this session and its passage in both Houses now looks much more difficult.
Dainik Bhaskar comments on the decrease in the buying capacity of farmers, saying it is a clear indicator of recession hitting the economy. Not just farm equipment but even every day utility products are seeing a fall in demand in rural India. Farmers account for 67 per cent of the country’s population and if they’re not earning enough to buy then there is a clear sign of economic downturn. The government can no longer ignore all the signs and needs to take significant steps to draw India out of this vortex.
Wednesday 20 November: Amar Ujala talks of the storm brewing in the telecom sector. The telecom companies are passing through a crisis and one major reason for this is that they want to set the rules of the game themselves. The present crisis has arisen because of the recent Supreme Court decision which has upheld the telecom department’s fine on majors like Reliance Communications, Vodafone-Idea and Airtel. It says that the government should quickly intervene and find a way out to stop the adverse impact it will have on the economy.
Dainik Jagran writes about the situation in Kashmir where markets have opened for the entire day and roads are congested. The train between Banihal and Srinagar is again operational and the only roadblock to full internet access is the fear of its misuse by separatists and militants. The government needs to take strong action against those who instigate the stone-pelters. India should heed the demand to free mainstream Kashmiri politicians only when it is sure that these leaders will not work to instigate separatists, it writes.
Thursday, 21 November: Dainik Bhaskar and Dainik Jagran comment on the situation in Maharashtra. Bhaskar questions Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece — Saamana comparing BJP to invader Mohammad Ghori and claiming that it will finish BJP in Maharashtra.
Bhaskar says Shiv Sena has to move with the times and change its politics from ‘Maratha vs non Maratha’. Its alliance with Congress is only because of pragmatic policies.
Jagran calls the talks for government formation “maukaparasti”. It says that the alliance will make the parties involved answer some tough questions. Will Congress and NCP be able to claim that they are secular parties after this alliance with the Shiv Sena? What will happen to all the promises they made to win elections? This alliance in Maharashtra is even beyond the alliance experiment between JD(S) and Congress for power. Shiv Sena is willing to sit in the lap of polar opposite parties and ditch its natural ally BJP just for the chief ministerial chair. All parties involved will have to bear the bitter fruits of this alliance.
Friday, 22 November: Jagran tackles the issue of electoral bonds brought up in Parliament. There was a lot of hot air but no solutions offered. When the bonds were introduced there were reservations among opposition parties and even the Election Commission. If the opposition parties feel the system has faults it needs to come up with some solutions to improve it, it writes.
It is apparent that the ruling dispensation benefits most from it but one party will not remain in power forever. Further, the demand for total transparency is also problematic, especially for big businesses that donate to political parties and might get victimised for it. So, a genuine effort must be made to find ways to make it more transparent, adds the daily.
Amar Ujala calls the decision by the government to disinvest from BPCL and four other companies a brave one. It will increase the trust of investors. However, the paper cautions the government to make sure that the interests of consumers and employees do not suffer in this disinvestment process. It needs to behave not like a profit earning businessman but like a state with welfare at heart, it writes.