Front Page
India and China are trying to patch things up. Prime Minister Modi and China President Xi Jinping will meet at an ‘informal’ summit in Wuhan, China, on 27 April, The Indian Express reports. This is the latest in a series of ‘friendly’ initiatives taken by both countries post Doklam. Earlier, China had reached out to India with an offer to resume confidence-building military exchanges, and the defence ministers of the two countries are also set to meet Tuesday. The Modi-Xi meeting will follow one between external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and China foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing Sunday.
16 suspected Naxals were gunned down by security forces in Maharashtra. The Hindu tells us that “the rebels were killed in an intelligence-based operation in the Kasansur area of the district, bordering Chhattisgarh”. The IG of the state’s anti-Naxal operations unit also told the daily that the police team offered the rebels a chance to surrender before the gunfight, which lasted over an hour.
PM Modi has asked his ministers to not give ‘masala to the media’. Many BJP ministers have been in the news for making ill-informed statements, which has embarrassed the government and the party. “As soon as we see a cameraperson we start speaking. And then, a half or incomplete sentence is used. We have to display restraint,” The Times of India reports the PM as saying in a video interaction with ministers.
However, Santosh Gangwar seems to have not got the PM’s message. On its front page, Hindustan Times quotes the union minister as saying Sunday, “Such incidents (rape cases) are an unfortunate thing. But sometimes you can’t stop them. In a big country like ours, if one or two incidents take place, much fuss should not be made over it. This is not fair…”
The CPI (M) pendulum finally stopped at Sitaram Yechury, as the party leader was re-elected for a second term as general secretary at the end of the five-day 22nd party congress in Hyderabad Sunday, The Hindu reports front page. However, Ruhi Tewari reports for ThePrint that though the party “claims to stand for people’s struggles, especially those of the marginalised”, the CPI (M)’s 17-member elected politburo only has two women, two Muslims, and no Dalits.
The Congress has issued an appeal to CJI Dipak Misra, suggesting he “voluntarily” recuse himself from judicial and administrative work, and saying he should decide “whether to work as a judge or not” in the wake of the aspersions cast against him in the impeachment motion, Hindustan Times reports. Rajya Sabha chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu has kickstarted consultations against the opposition’s motion to impeach the CJI, The Indian Express reports.
Also, Kapil Sibal has refused to enter Dipak Misra’s court from today, because “that is consistent with the highest standards of my profession”, The Indian Express reports the senior advocate and Congress leader as saying.
In ThePrint
The judiciary-executive stand-off continues. For the first time in history, “the Centre has unilaterally amended the collegium’s recommendation to apply its own writ, considered a violation of settled law and procedure”, Maneesh Chibber reports. Last month, the Supreme Court collegium had recommended that Punjab and Haryana High Court additional judge Ramendra Jain be made a permanent judge, but the Centre has only given him a six-month extension.
Modi vs Manmohan: Who is the better ‘medicine man’ for India’s poor? Himani Chandna reviews our Prime Minister’s health initiative to provide affordable medicines to the public. For a comprehensive update on one of the government’s big schemes, do read her report.
Business Class
Two years ago, an internal inquiry by ICICI Bank had cleared CEO Chanda Kochhar’s name in the Videocon deal, reports The Economic Times. The inquiry was conducted by bank chairman M.K. Sharma, and its findings were shared with the PMO and the CBI.
The London Metal Exchange index, which reflects the price movement of six base metals, namely aluminium, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, and tin, is up 7.4 per cent so far in April. “The recent rally in metal prices would prove expensive for India Inc,” reports Business Standard.
Good news for Tata Motors. “The Tiago, the two-year-old small car from Tata Motors’ stable, has notched the highest sales in the entry segment after Maruti Suzuki’s Alto,” reports Business Standard.
Over the weekend
Death penalty for child rapists: The union cabinet issued an ordinance Saturday to allow the death penalty for rapists who assault children aged below 12. The cabinet also decided to raise the minimum jail term for rapists to 10 years if the victims are over 16 years old. NDTV reports, “The changes were cleared at a meeting of the union cabinet convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi within hours of his return from a five-day foreign tour.”
While some hailed the decision, other saw it as a knee-jerk reaction to the protests against rapes following the Kathua and Unnao cases. To understand both sides of the debate, read these for and against opinions at ThePrint.
Soon after the order, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal ended her indefinite hunger strike Sunday, The Indian Express reports. Maliwal, who had been on strike for 10 days seeking death penalty for child rapists broke her fast at 2 pm. Read Sanya Dhingra’s coverage of her protest to know the full story.
News it’s just kind of cool to know
Another day, another Air India crisis. Turbulence reportedly caused a window panel to come off mid-flight last week. Three of the 240 passengers were injured during the turbulence, with the chaos caught on camera, News18 reports.
Yogi Adityanath has big plans for Uttar Pradesh, and is set to market the state as an ideal investment destination. The state government plans to “promote Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway on Delhi’s outskirts as electronics manufacturing zones”, The Financial Express reports.
Over 600 academics wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “holding him responsible for the ‘terrible state of affairs’ in Kathua and Unnao”, The Wire reports. The full text of the letter is re-produced in the copy. For context, read NDTV‘s coverage.
Point of View
The Times Of India, in its editorial, criticises the opposition’s move to bring an impeachment motion against the Chief Justice of India, terming it “a dangerous new low for the body politic”. The Hindu editorial, meanwhile, terms it “an unprecedented crisis”.
The CPI (M) party congress concluded in Hyderabad Sunday. The Indian Express, in its editorial, writes, “If Hyderabad is any indication, they are still trapped in cliched ideological positions and they would prefer a marginal existence in the national imagination to risking a radical reinvention.”
The President approved the ordinance mandating the death sentence for child rape. Maya John, an assistant professor at Jesus and Mary College, in her column in The Hindu, terms it harmful for rape survivors. She adds, “The focus must be on enhancing rape conviction rates and taking steps to rehabilitate and empower survivors.”
In the wake of cash shortage at ATMs in six states, Mihir Sharma writes in his column in Business Standard, “Demonetisation is still hurting India’s monetary stability, and government/RBI have been unusually poor stewards of the macro-economy.”
Women’s struggle to get their rightful place in this world is bearing fruit. Chidanand Rajghatta, in his column in The Times Of India, writes, “Women will step up and step into what have long been male domains.” The odds are still against them but “gender bias is starting to fade”.
