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Mainstream newspapers Monday headline a significant development from Jammu and Kashmir – National Conference delegation meeting detained leaders Farooq and Omar Abdullah.
India’s victory against South Africa in the opening cricket test of the three-match series also makes it to Page 1 in The Times of India and Hindustan Times.
NC leaders meet: In a “rare political meeting since at least 50 politicians were put under detention on 5 August,” two delegations from “National Conference met senior party leaders Farooq and Omar Abdullah,” writes HT.
TOI reports, National Conference on Sunday “demanded that its party president Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar” be released “ahead of the Block Development Council polls.”
The Hindu notes, “the leaders said they discussed developments in the State and the coming local bodies election during their separate meetings” with the Abdullahs.
Indian Express mentions the fact that PDP was supposed meet detained leader Mehbooba Mufti as well. However, the meeting had been deferred and “there was no official word on the reason, or when the PDP leaders would go now.” In its Explained box, it says, “Letting NC, PDP leaders meet the Abdullahs and Mufti is a first step in rebuilding political space.”
Dhaka on NRC: Hindu chooses to lead with a senior Bangladesh government official’s statement, “Dhaka will go by the assurances given by Prime Minister Modi, and not the public statements by other Indian leaders,” on the NRC issue. Amit Shah’s claim of deporting 1.9 million non-citizens, Gowher Rizvi (PM Sheikh Hasina’s advisor) in an interview with Hindu said, “We will not comment on what Indian politicians say.”
India-US Trade deal: TOI’s lead looks west where it sees the “prospects of an early conclusion of an India-US trade deal have brightened with the two sides reducing their differences and agreeing to allow more goods to be shipped by both countries.” It notes that an announcement over the next few weeks looks likely.
Fund flows: In its second lead Express cites a report outlining the economic slowdown plaguing the country. It writes, “overall financial flows to the commercial sector have declined sharply, by around 88 per cent, during the first six months of the current financial year.” Referring to the latest RBI data, it says, “the flow of funds from banks and non-banks to the commercial sector has been Rs 90,995 crore in 2019-20 so far as against Rs 7,36,037 crore in the same period last year.”
Others: “Glaring gaps in orders: Gauhati HC indicts a Foreigners’ Tribunal,” says Express in another report. The Gauhati High Court has “strongly indicted the functioning of the Foreigners’ Tribunals that will take a final call on exclusions” from the NRC, while also “setting aside 57 orders of an FT in Morigaon district.”
HT reports the Indian Army is preparing to “deploy its new M777 ultra-light howitzers in eastern Arunachal Pradesh for accurate artillery fire support in the mountainous terrain.”
Opinion
HT: The newspaper marks two months since Article 370 was revoked in ‘Free Kashmir’s Democrats’ and writes that the restrictions imposed in the Valley “have proven to be effective” in preventing violence but have “come at a cost”. Civil liberties and fundamental rights of Kashmiris were compromised and political mobilisation was curtailed. It calls on the government to “lift restrictions without compromising security”. HT says Kashmir’s mainstream leaders must be released. It lists two ways in which their release could “benefit Delhi”. For one, the “ambition of bringing development to J&K can’t be fulfilled without local partners” and second, releasing leaders will “allay apprehensions in the international community.”
TOI: In ‘Enough is Enough’, the newspaper writes that the celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership during India’s freedom struggle “are rendered meaningless by repetitive and frivolous invocation of heavy-handed colonial-era laws, such as sedition.” It refers to the letter written by India’s intellectuals and artists to the PM voicing their concern over mob lynchings and hate crimes. The signatories of the letter have been charged with sedition. TOI declares that, “if democratic expression of views leads to charges of sedition and breach of peace, then Indian democracy will be the world’s laughing stock.” It suggests that “nothing could tarnish the country’s image more, and it would have succeeded in re-hyphenating itself with Pakistan.”
Prime Time
Sunday’s ‘Prime Time’ took up a variety of issues. However, across channels, the abiding visuals of the day were of the NC delegation meeting with Farooq and Omar Abdullah in Srinagar .
India Today discussed this meeting, Republic TV asked, “Who is the real voice of ‘Naya Kashmir’?” while CNN-News 18 discussed the cutting down of trees in the Aarey forest,
NDTV 24×7: On the NC meeting, anchor Gargi Rawat asked on ‘Left Right and Centre’: “Is this an indication of Kashmir moving towards normalcy?”
Executive Editor of Kashmir Times, Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal was scornful: “Whatever has happened in the past two months in Kashmir doesn’t suit the definition of normalcy. What are the grounds on which these leaders were arrested – this still hasn’t been disclosed.”
Advocate Sarfaraz Wani was also critical “It is a mockery of election and democracy in J&K… BJP has started with the process of the local election, but all the party heads are still under detention. “
BJP’s Vivek Reddy said, “History of J&K is proof that people have been stopped from participating in elections by various ‘other forces’- this time it will change.”
“Arresting the leaders was done keeping in mind the larger interest- national security and internal peace in Kashmir”, he added.
Times Now: Anchor Priti Dahiya discussed the #AareyFaceOff.
BJP’s Charu Pragya claimed that “Planting trees is not the only solution to fight pollution. Every day of protest is costing Rs 4.2 crore to the Maharashtra Government.”
She added that activists had suggested no alternative place for the metro rail car shed — “There is none,” she said.
Promptly, law student and activist Rishav Rajan named eight alternative places suggested by environmentalists to the state government for the car shed.
Activist Nirali Vaidya added that the “popular belief that the metro is going to reduce carbon emissions…’’ is a misconception, “…we tend to forget that it also releases around 75 tons of carbon every day.”
Zee News: Anchor Mimansa Malik discussed Chhattisgarh Congress Minister Ravindra Chaubey’s comment that “Ram for Congress means Shabri’s Ram, Nishadraj’s Ram… for BJP Ram is a way to collect donations, seeking vote in the name of Ramlila and carrying out mob lynchings”.
Political Analyst Abdul Razzaj Khan said, “They (BJP) misuse the name of Lord Ram.’’ He alleged that when Tabrez Ansari was lynched, those who lynched him shouted ‘Jai Sri Ram’.
“Chaubey just wanted to convey that BJP has made Lord Ram’s name a weapon,” he explained.
BJP’s Nalin Kohli condemned Chaubey’s statement, “He has disrespected Ram and millions of people in India who worship Ram.”
He then targeted Khan, “…why does he need to bring God’s name in-between?”
Islamic Scholar Atiqur Rahman asked why no senior BJP leader “openly condemns mob lynchings in the name of religion?”
Aaj Tak: With state elections in Haryana and Maharashtra around the corner, anchor Rohit Sardana asked on ‘Dangal’ – “Are elections being fought on Modi’s name?”
BJP’s Sambit Patra insisted the elections were being fought on “local issues’’.
Congress’ Charan Singh Sapra was critical of the BJP: “82,000 government posts are lying vacant in Maharashtra. Around 30,000 Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSME) were closed down. Lakhs of people having an account in PMC bank are now helpless and (Finance Minister) Nirmala Sitharama says that she cannot help. What kind of a government is this?”