Front Page
The Times of India’s lead is an exclusive interview with the Prime Minister with the banner headline, ‘I still consider myself a challenger’. The PM has, by and large, abstained from giving interviews to the press, but this one occupies half of page one and runs across two pages inside — a first in the five years he has been in office.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi exuded confidence…when he met TOI ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha polls” it writes. The Prime Minister made some colourful statements: He called the SP-BSP alliance an “unconvincing combination”, said “Deshbhakti is not a disease”, and that “destroying Congress culture was a key challenge” for the BJP.
Stock photographs of the PM accompany the interview. TOI frames its questions such that they sound non-combative — “There is a view that demonetisation and GST have hurt employment”, “A charge levelled against BJP is that causes such as cow protection have led to intolerance”, and “Farmers in several parts of the country appear to be unhappy”.
On Balakot, it doesn’t ask the PM about the 300 odd casualty figure released by ‘government sources’, but instead asks, “How do you react to questions being raised on casualties inflicted in Balakot?”
TOI made no reference to the NSSO survey results on job losses, nor of the Modi government’s hand in erstwhile CBI director Alok Verma’s resignation.
When asked if re-elected, if there was anything he would do differently, the PM answered cryptically: “It would be good if I speak on this after May 23”.
Jet and EC
Another morning marked by differences with at least two common leads: Jet Airways’ dwindling prospects of staying afloat is the first.
The Times of India is gloomy about the carrier’s future: ‘Jet sends final SOS; board says CEO can take call on shutdown’.
“Aviation authorities have started frantic efforts to rein in fares as a fallout of the crisis at Jet, which had a fleet size of 124 last November and operated just five planes on Tuesday,” it writes in its front page flap report.
The Indian Express is realistic: ‘Jet crisis deepens: Fleet down to 5, airline asks for 400 crore emergency funding’. “India’s oldest private airline”, it calls Jet, is “operating on a skeletal schedule with just five aircraft due to its critical liquidity position”.
TOI says a Jet sent a “final SOS to banks for immediate release of at least Rs 400 crore to avoid a complete shutdown”. The Hindu vaguely refers to “engagement” with lenders “to secure at least a few hundred crore rupees” in “Jet Airways seeks Rs. 400 crore infusion to avert shutdown”.
And what to make of Hindustan Times’s headline ‘Jet may ground all flights, govt moves to check fares’? You wouldn’t think Jet was in a messy cash crunch at all until you read the report which says, “The future of cash-strapped Jet Airways (India) Ltd hung in balance on Tuesday”, after it was forced to seek money from banks. It found that “banks are keen and willing to help Jet Airways, provided promoters show firm commitment in infusing funds with a clear-cut roadmap”.
Express adds, “A delay in banks releasing emergency funds to Jet Airways for daily operations has worsened the situation.”
The Election Commission is always in the news these days: The Hindu’s lead headline tells you why: “After SC rap, EC ‘wakes up to its powers’”. The report tracks the exchange between the Supreme Court and the EC after the latter issued gag orders on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Yogi Adityanath and Maneka Gandhi, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)’s Mayawati, and Samajwadi Party (SP)’s Azam Khan for their provocative statements.
In ‘Violations pile up a day after EC gag on leaders’, HT finds the EC’s woes have only increased, and the stakes are high. Several political parties, including the Congress and BJP, approached the EC with “a flurry of fresh complaints against each other’s leaders”.
“The spate of new allegations…relates to violations of campaign rules that prohibit soliciting votes on the basis of religion, as well as one new instance where a state-level politician used strong expletives,” it reports.
Tamil Nadu
Strangely Express’s lead report on the tax raid on Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi is conspicuously absent from The Hindu’s front page — notwithstanding the latter being based in Chennai. According to Express, the tax raid team returned “empty handed because the ‘intelligence input’ that the cash was stored in the house turned out to be incorrect”.
DMK leader M.K. Stalin alleged the raid was set up by BJP and its ally, ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), but “a senior IT official said the raid was conducted on the basis of input from the Tutincorin district administration”, reads the report.
Opinion
Express lauds the EC for having “unsheathed its extraordinary powers” in ‘Umpire strikes back’. It calls the move to punish poll violators a “setback to laissez-faire politics”, in “what is turning out to be a very vituperative election campaign”.
It argues that the crackdown was “overdue” and “desperately necessary for maintaining the integrity of the poll process”. “This is how institutions should assert themselves when they are treated with impunity”, it says, but adds with caution, “it remains to be seen if it is prepared to deploy its maximum powers when the most powerful campaigners in contemporary politics transgress”.
Nonetheless, the Express writes, the EC “appears to have got a grip on the situation”.
In ‘Sealed Disclosure’, The Hindu is disappointed by the Supreme Court’s “inadequate and belated response” to the “serious concerns” raised over electoral bonds. It ruled last week that parties should disclose in sealed envelopes the details of their donations received via electoral bonds, which it calls an “opaque scheme”.
“The order, unfortunately, preserves the status quo, and any effect that the possible asymmetry in political funding would have on the election process will stay as it is,” Hindu woefully writes.
“Now that there is no stay on the operation of the scheme, the court must render an early verdict on the legality of the electoral bond scheme”, it adds, especially since in its past, the court has “been proactive in empowering voters”.
Prime Time
The mudslinging continued Wednesday over the exchange of insulting remarks in the election campaign with Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu the latest subject of the media’s ire after he allegedly solicited Muslim votes. Sidhu was at a rally in Katihar, Bihar.
In the evening, prime time shows considered what could be done about such defamatory and crude language, especially targeting women.
ET Now: Stand-up comedian Aditi Mittal said, “When an MP is called ‘Surpanakha’ or ‘Nachnewali’, there are young girls listening to this and realising the cost of entering into politics.”
Aaj Tak: Anchor Rohit Sardana was in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, the stronghold of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
When Sardana asked SP leader Harpal Yadav about Azam
Khan’s comment on Jaya Prada, Yadav defended his party colleague; “One should not condemn (people) while (they are) giving political speeches — sometimes words do slip out of the mouth.” – Ratnadeep, is this what he meant??
BJP spokesperson Ram Naresh Agnihotri was not at all apologetic about Yogi Adityanath’s religious comments: “BJP accepted the Election Commission’s decision (on gagging UP CM).” He praised Yogi Adityanath as “a meritorious and a religious leader”.
But Adityanath had conducted a prayer at a temple on the morning after the ban was imposed on him, countered Sardana.
Agnihotri was matter-of-fact about the issue: “Offering prayers is our freedom, if media people find Yogi ji in the temple, what is wrong with it? Yogi ji is a saint.”
Would Congress condemn Sidhu’s remarks, Sardana asked Congress leader Sankoch Gaur.
“What Sidhu ji said… is completely justified. EC has not put a ban on him. It is BJP which indulges in communal politics,” replied Gaur.
India Today: Anchor Rajdeep Sardesai brought up the role of cash in elections and I-T raids.
Retd. Major General Amit Verma said, “Illegal cash is being seized by the officials all over India… Though incidents come to the limelight, rarely (is) any action taken. These incidents are just the tip of the iceberg.”
BJP’s Narayanan Thirupathy denied that BJP had any role in the I-T raids on opposition politicians. “The raids are conducted (on information) which the I-T department receives from their sources, BJP does not interfere in the functioning of the IT department.”
Zee News: Anchor Sudhir Chaudhary was impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Bhubaneshwar on 16 April describing the “pushp varsha” (rain of flowers) upon Modi’s cavalcade in detail.
He added that after 50 years of Jan Sangh’s hard work in Odisha, there was a strong chance BJP would win several seats there.
#DNA में जरूर देखें- काशी से 200 घंटे पहले भुवनेश्वर में PM मोदी का चुनावी रोड शो क्यों ?@sudhirchaudhary pic.twitter.com/iMsxwtE0u0
— Zee News (@ZeeNews) April 16, 2019
NDTV India: Anchor Ravish Kumar commented on the politicisation of the armed forces, He said the armed forces are not fighting but fighting has broken out over the forces by politicians.
Kumar also played an excerpt from PM Modi’s RSTV interview where he said, “Kisan mare toh mudda hai, jawan mare toh mudda kaise nai hai… (If a farmer dies it is an issue but if a soldier dies isn’t it an issue?)”
Tweet of the day
Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup ??..
— Ambati Rayudu (@RayuduAmbati) April 16, 2019
With inputs from Shailaja Bajpai.
Two things – at least – that could be done differently are : Assemble a first rate economic team; and cull 80% of the Cabinet.