New Delhi: Prime time channels Tuesday were spoilt for topics. While News18 India’s Amish Devgan cried ‘loot’ over the Roshni Act, ABP News’ Rubika Liyaquat investigated an offer of ‘vaccine tourism’, Zee News’ Aman Chopra raved about a ‘love jihad vaccine’ and Times Now‘s Madhavdas G. discussed Delhi Police’s supplementary chargesheet against Umar Khalid.
Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami held a debate on whether India needs another lockdown with the hashtag #CovidSecondWave.
“At a time when at least 30 vaccines are in different stages of development in India, the country is witnessing a fresh spike in Covid cases,” said Goswami.
Dr. Subramanian Swaminathan, senior consultant at Gleneagles Global Health City, said India must look at the “Western world” before debating a lockdown. “They haven’t immediately gone ahead and imposed draconian measures… a generalised lockdown, while it is a very powerful tool, it is very counter-intuitive when it comes to the economy,” he said.
Businessman and columnist Suhel Seth said, “I don’t think India needs another lockdown, it won’t achieve anything… There will be more fear and economic damage… There has to be some level of self-discipline.”
Rasna managing director of Rasna Piruz Khambatta said, “India as a nation has lost a lot with the lockdown… our GDP has contracted by 24 per cent… around 1.4 crore people have lost their job.” He instead suggested a “calibrated lockdown”.
Times Now’s Madhavdas G. discussed Delhi Police’s supplementary chargesheet in a Delhi court where it said former JNU student leader Umar Khalid hatched a conspiracy that led to riots in the national capital in February.
Calling Khalid “the tukde posterboy”, the anchor held a debate asking if “Islamist hate” is linked to “tukde gang”.
“Here you have a person whose alibi says he was not in Delhi but in Bihar but guess what? He has been in touch with the same individuals who are responsible for organising protests that took place at the same time of the riots,” he told the panel.
Advocate Sanjay Hegde responded, “The charges have not been framed. All that the court has done is taken cognisance of the chargesheet. See, Delhi Police will really have to convince the court that there is material to frame a charge.”
BJP national spokesperson R.P. Singh said, “Whatever they [Delhi Police] have alleged, they will prove it in court… whether it is through the WhatsApp groups, money trail, whether it is about provoking people in the name of CAA or the visiting president of America.”
Singh was referring to US President Donald Trump’s visit to India which coincided with the riots.
Meanwhile, JNU student leader Sunny Dhiman Wakker said there was “nothing wrong” in organising protests as it is a right “given in our Constitution”.
After the Uttar Pradesh government Tuesday cleared an ordinance against unlawful conversions, Aman Chopra in Zee News’ Taal Thok Ke said, “The vaccine for coronavirus will take some time, but looks like a vaccine for love jihad in Uttar Pradesh is already here.”
He wondered out loud, “Kya ye love jihad hai ya sangathit aparadh? (Is it love jihad or organised crime?)”
ABP News’ Rubika Liyaquat was worried about the actual coronavirus vaccine. “They say if you have money, you can buy anything. But, if you have money, can you go to the United States and buy a vaccine against coronavirus?” she asked, referring to ‘media reports’ that the US will start administering Covid vaccines from 11 December.
A WhatsApp forward has gone viral wherein a touring company in Mumbai is offering a package over Rs 1.75 lakh to take people to the US for the vaccine. Liyaquat asked out loud, “Iss offer mein dum kya hai? (Is this offer effective?)”
As usual, the channel gave a breakdown of the situation but no conclusive answer.
News18 India’s Amish Devgan was feeling rather dramatic Tuesday, “Roshni ka arth hota hai ujala (The meaning of Roshni is light).” Good morning, Mr Devgan.
But he had a point to make about the controversial Roshni land Act in Jammu and Kashmir. “However, in the desire for lightness, darkness has been diffused. The High Court also said something on similar lines.”
On criticism against the Roshni Act, Farooq Abdullah has asserted that this is a way to “trouble” him after he was named as an encroacher. Devganasked, “What kind of Act is it where land worth Rs 25,000 crore is available in only Rs 76 crore?”
Then, he shouted, “Yeh loot hai! Khuli aankhon se bhi aur band aankhon se bhi! (This is a loot, no matter how you look at it).”
Now that this loot is being investigated, a victim card is being played, Devgan retorted.