New Delhi: Prime time debates covered a wide range Thursday — there was palpable excitement about the upcoming roadshow welcoming US President Donald Trump in Ahmedabad and outrage over the ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogan raised in AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s rally in Bangalore.
However, some chose to stick to the classics. ABP News’ anchor Rubika Liyaquat continued to obsess over Shaheen Bagh. Liyaquat explained that even though Sanjay Hegde, the SC-appointed interlocutor, tried to mediate the situation the protesters refused to cooperate. “Arre taali toh bajao, jab do haath milte hai, tabhi taali bajti hai” (In order to clap, you need both hands to cooperate), she said.
Liyaquat was quite taken with the clapping analogy and wondered out loud, how is clapping possible without putting in the work? (What?)
Zee News’ ‘celebrated’ anchor Sudhir Chaudhary was in conversation with Asha Devi, Nirbhaya’s mother. She said, “Mujhe jeene ya marne se darr nahi lagta” (I am neither scared of living nor dying). On a rather emotional note, she said that she is solely worried about the safety of girls in this country.
In light of the two Dalit brothers being stripped and tortured in Rajasthan, Aaj Tak’s anchor Sweta Singh spoke to Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhim Army chief. Singh asked him about when he planned to go to Rajasthan. Azad, in his usual swagger, replied, “Zaroor jaoonga, team laga di hai, bandh hoga zoron se” (I will go there of course, I have put people to work, there is a bandh being organised).
He also questioned why a Dalit’s life is punctuated by these gruesome incidents. Singh was quick to interject and make the issue a BJP vs Congress fight, “Woh toh ho hi raha hai, lekin BJP ke rajya mein aisa hota hai toh halla mach jata hai.” (That happens, but each time such an incident occurs in a BJP ruled state, there is an uproar).
Mirror Now anchor Tanvi Shukla brought a report from one of Mumbai’s most coveted colleges, Mithibai College. The principal of the college Dr Rajpal Hande has been accused of sexual harassment by two women. Despite FIRs being filed and getting arrested twice, the college hasn’t taken any action so far. Shukla declared, “He continues to be principal”.
India Today’s anchor Rajdeep Sardesai was in conversation with Vijay Nehra, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner. Sardesai took a mathematical dig at the US President, “Trump said on record that 7 million people will greet him… seems like Trump got carried away with his maths.”
Sardesai asked Nehra about how much the roadshow was costing the city, Nehra simply astonished him with his reply, “The expenditure is going to be very small. Most of it is being done by the people themselves.” According to reports, Ahmedabad authorities are expected to spend Rs 80-85 crore on Trump’s upcoming visit, which is 1.5 per cent of the state’s annual budget.
Things were rather subdued on Republic. Arnab Goswami began his show with a long monologue, “Why is that despite running from one court to the other, the common man who fights against the powerful, why is that the citizen is always let down… why is that Lutyens Media loses its voice watching citizens suffer.”
This was a not-so-veiled reference to Ansal Brothers, who were acquitted of all charges, 23 years after the Uphaar theatre fire tragedy that led to the deaths of 59 people. Goswami continued, “59 families have been told to move on.”
Times Now anchor Padmaja Joshi tried her best to moderate a debate. However, she seemed personally offended by the ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogan that was shouted at Owaisi’s rally by a woman. Owaisi, on his part, was quick to denounce the slogan. Joshi wondered loudly, “Where is India heading?”
Several minutes into the debate, R.P. Singh Khalsa, BJP National Secretary came up with a stunning and absolutely irrelevant observation, “Ram rajya is a theory propagated by Gandhiji.” Okay then.
