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Moon mission rules headlines as prime time debates if Muslims, Dalits should carry weapons

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Before getting to the news – all newspapers plaster the same full-page advert on Page 1 about New India Assurance Co. “thanking” its customers as it celebrates the “dawn of a new century.”

The ad aside, headlines celebrate the successful launch of Chandrayaan-2 Monday. The Indian Express (‘Off to the Moon’) and Hindustan Times (‘India shoots for the Moon’) both carry the same majestic photograph of the powerful GSLV Mk-III rocket shooting for the sky.

The Times of India is more serious with ‘Tense 48-day journey begins’ and gives the mission a full page coverage. It says the mission had “a better-than-textbook launch”.

The Express says “initial anxiety evaporated” as the rocket progressed further and further on its own. The Hindu, which gives the news column space on Page 1, says in ‘Perfect launch for Chandrayaan-2’ that watching the launch “seemed like a nail-biting sports match.”

HT reminds that Chandrayaan 2 will be “ the first to explore (the moon’s) south pole”, and explains how: “the rover called Pragyan, will examine lunar surface, search for water, and probe craters and traps.”

TOI says the mission “will also try to find possibilities of sustaining human life on Earth’s natural satellite with an aim of colonising it.”

The papers also already look toward 7 September, the expected landing date. The Express breaks down the 15 “complex manouvers before critical descent”. TOI too says “all eyes on September landing.”

Meanwhile for The Hindu, the lead headline carries an uncalled for remark by US President Donald Trump: “I would love to be a mediator on Kashmir”. It informs that Trump “offered to be a “mediator” between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue as he met Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House.”

TOI writes that “A furore erupted” over his comment. Almost an hour later, the Ministry of External Affairs “contradicted the President’s remarks”, says HT.

Trump truly touched a nerve as MEA went on record to say, “no such request has been made by PM Modi to US President. It has been India’s consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally”, writes the Express.

Karnataka Crisis

The newspapers are quite perceptibly bored with the never-ending political crisis in Karnataka. Headlines deliver the most basic information and lack the enthusiasm they held just weeks ago: “Trust vote spills over again, new deadline 6pm today”, says the Express, “K’taka assembly debates, but doesn’t vote”, writes HT and “Karnataka trust vote put off again” informs The Hindu. TOI gives it less than column space, with the missable headline “HDK’s fate may be sealed by 6 pm today.”.

The future of the JD(S) – Karnataka continued to “hang in the balance” with a trust vote “sought by CM H.D. Kumaraswamy not reaching its culmination despite over 10 hours of debate in the Assembly”, writes the Express. “Speaker, K.R. Ramesh Kumar set 6 pm on Tuesday as the deadline to complete the voting, amid angry objections by the BJP,” informs The Hindu.

Changes to RTI and Mumbai’s burning building

Blindsided by the mission to the moon, newspapers forget about the “controversial tweak” made to the RTI Amendment Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday. HT is the only one to substantially report, “Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill to amend the RTI Act to give central government the power to set the salaries and service conditions for Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners.”

HT goes on to provide context by outlining that the current law says, “information commissioners will have a five year tenure or serve until the age of 65, the new one says that the Centre shall prescribe their term.”

TOI squeezes the news into a box on Page 1, saying the Bill was passed “amid opposition protests that it would dilute the transparency law” and that it “may not find smooth sailing in the Rajya Sabha, where the government doesn’t have a majority.”

The Hindu and HT also remember the MTNL building that caught fire in Mumbai. “The fire brigade rescued around 90 to 100 people after a major fire broke out at the nine-story MTNL building in Bandra”, writes The Hindu.

Opinion

The Times of India

In “Lift Off,” TOI celebrates Chandrayaan-2’s successful launch from Sriharikota at 2.43pm Monday. The launch was aborted a week earlier due to technical glitches, but the second time around the “powerful GSLV-MkIII-M1 rocket lifted off smoothly.” After a series of complicates maneuvers, it is expected to soft land on the Moon, catapulting India into “an elite club presently comprising just the US, Russia and China. “

This mission is expected to “enhance our space capabilities manifold,” and is an important first step before the launch of a manned space mission in 2022. With improving technologies and decreasing costs, something which ISRO has been in the forefront of, space is “is much more within our reach than ever before.” With Chandrayaan-2, India has made “a strong statement about its space plans,“ and TOI suggests that now it should also “open up space to its private sector.”

The Hindu

In “What’s NEXT,” The Hindu highlights the many changes that are proposed under the National Medical Commission Bill (NMC). The NMC will have “authority over medical education — approvals for colleges, admissions, tests and fee-fixation.” The major change it proposes is a single National Exit Test (NEXT) to exit from the MBBS course, and enter into a postgraduate medical course. This will replace the final year MBBS exams and scores used to allocate PG seats.

While NEXT will reduce the number of tests students have to take, there are detractors like Tamil Nadu that believe it will “undermine the federal system.” The bill also removes the “elitist” exemption of central institutions like AIIMS and JIPMER from NEET for admission to MBBS. It also scrapped the older proposal of “additional licentiate exam” to practice and also “a bridge course for AYUSH practitioners to make a lateral entry into allopathy.”

Prime Time

Aaj Tak, India TV, and Times Now choose to debate the idea of Muslims and Dalits carrying weapons in self defence with the rise in mob lynchings. Other topics of the night included the Chandrayaan’s launch and #KarnatakaNatak.

Aaj Tak: Anchor Anjana Om Kashyap wanted to know how someone’s source of income could be “attacked” in the context of Samajwadi Party MLA Nahid Hasan calling for a boycott of all shops owned by BJP supporters in Kairana, Uttar Pradesh.

Hasan defended his statement: “You are saying that by encouraging such a boycott I am robbing BJP supporters of their daily work? But what about those who have already been robbed? Why does no one listen to them? No one is listening to the poor”

Political analyst Tehseen Poonawala accused Hasan of “spreading hatred”. Activist Saira Shah Halim agreed, saying: “This is a statement to instigate the public…It is shameful that someone should boycott a business.”

India TV: India TV also discussed the case in Kairana, but was mainly occupied with the question of whether minorities will need to “resort” to arms to protect themselves from lynchings, as prescribed by Shia cleric Kalbe Jawab.

K.K. Sharma of the BJP said, “Statements on lynching by Kalbe Jawab and what happened in Kairana is a means of trying to divide the people.”

Tasleem Rahmani of the MPCI was critical of Sharma. “Even BJP supporters indulge in similar behaviour. They keep telling Muslims to leave the country. You didn’t even mention that.”

Times Now: On The News Hour, Navika Kumar focused on whether the call for arms is “promoting enmity or securing Indian citizens?”

Lawyer Mahmood Paracha, who had said at a press conference earlier that Muslims and Dalits ought to sell their jewellery and property to buy weapons, told Kumar: “I stand firm in my appeal. I have said it with a very heavy heart and as a last resort when the constitutional authorities are not performing their duties.”

BJP National Spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi was skeptical of Paracha’s sentiments: “The Sikhs, Jains and Parsi minority communities don’t have any fear, but the 20 per cent Muslims do? They are the majority within the minority.”

Paracha retorted with, “All SCs, STs & minorities should start carrying pepper sprays from tomorrow.”

CNN News 18: Anchor Zakka Jacob discussed the latest turn of events in the Karnataka assembly, with its now days old #KarnatakaNatak hashtag making a reappearance.

Syed Asad Abbas, JDS supporter, said, “The Speaker gave an ultimatum of today by 6 pm. The reason he has threatened to quit is to give them all an ultimate dictat.”

Lawyer Vikas Gupta said, “The Congress-JD(S) don’t have the numbers. If the speaker’s position is defeated, they will lose the trust also in the house. But let’s not jump the gun.”

BJP Spokesperson Amit Malviya added, “It’s quite amusing what I’m hearing. Apparently an astrologer told him (the speaker) that if he can buy time till the 23rd he will survive.”

Republic: The launch of Chandrayaan-2 was a historic moment for Republic, but it didn’t take long for the panel to unravel.

Sanjeev Srivastava, senior journalist said, “Congress should have first congratulated the scientists and then PM Modi and then may well have gone to their history of Manmohan Singh and Nehru.”

“Congress has done a lot for the country, be grateful,” said Ravi Srivastava, political analyst and founding member of AAP. He further added that Modi should be credited for everything that happens in his government, including unemployment and GST.

With inputs from Rachel John.

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