New Delhi: Prime Time news on Tuesday was spoilt for choices. Zee News discussed the tussle between TMC and BJP party workers in poll-bound West Bengal. NDTV 24×7 took credit for breaking a story on an area in Arunachal Pradesh which has been purportedly captured by the Chinese. Meanwhile, Aaj Tak’s Rohit Sardana marked 31 years since the exile of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir –“31 saal se khandit hoon, mein Kashmiri pandit hoon.” (have been uprooted since 31 years, I am a Kashmiri Pandit).
After a tussle erupted between TMC and BJP party workers in Nandigram, things turned violent in Bengal, prompting Zee News anchor Aditi Tyagi to ask whether Bengal has transformed into a ‘Bambtantra from a Loktantra’.
Binoy Singh, TMC, replied: “If someone will throw stones at me then I will not welcome them with flowers, BJP has tried to sabotage every TMC meeting and rally during this campaign.”
CPM’s Faiyaz Ahmad hit out at both the TMC and BJP: “Bengal’s land was associated with peace; the means being used by BJP and TMC to catch hold of the state will further lead to violence and nothing else.”
Aparajita Sarangi, BJP MP responded gamely saying, “We are watching everything, the attack on BJP workers is nothing but proof of TMC showing their anxiety and desperation trying to sway results.”
The lives lost on Singhu border in the ongoing farm protests saw Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launch a booklet ‘Kheti ka Khoon’ Tuesday—and News 18 India took note.
On the prime time show, author Saira Shah Halim accused the ruling party of indifference to the deaths: “If the BJP is empathetic towards the farmers then can they state figures and tell us how many people sacrificed their lives in protest?”
Responding to Halim, BJP spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan said, “We should not politicise the lives lost… the country will not forgive the ones who are politicising the ongoing protest,”
“We are part of a democracy and that should facilitate dialogue between the parties in question, but the farmers are still holding the ‘my way or the highway approach’”, he added.
NDTV 24×7 shifted focus to China’s reported move to construct a village in Arunachal Pradesh. Anchor Sunil Prabhu hinted that this issue has now given way to another ‘template-d’ political fight between Congress and the BJP.
Charan Singh Sapra, Congress spokesperson commented, “Because there is no deterrence… China is not scared of India.”
Political analyst supporting BJP, PKD Nambiar responded, “Modi government has built infrastructure on the Indo-China border during last six years, which the Congress has failed to do and maybe that is the reason why China was silent with them.”
NewsX‘s Rishabh Gulati discussed US President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration to be held Wednesday.
“Do we see Joe Biden busy at home for the next six months? Sorting out coronavirus? Sorting out his economy? Do we see the same amount of committment to the Quad as Donald Trump did and what should be our [India’s] priorities going ahead?” he asked.
Former Indian diplomat Pradeep Kapur said Biden has appointed some advisors who will be help steer him in a “positive direction in mutual interest of US and India”.
Another ex-Ambassador Bhaswati Mukherjee agreed that Biden’s priorities for the next six months will be domestic issues, “particularly if the efforts to impeach Trump after the inauguration continue”. She added the India-US relationship has evolved to a point where “there is a bipartisan consensus about the importance of the relationship”.
Foreign policy analyst Sree Iyer observed that Biden will try to find the “middle ground” and at the end of the day, “US will do what is best for US interests”.
(With inputs from Kairvy Grewal)