New Delhi: On prime time debates Wednesday night, the People’s Alliance of Gupkar Declaration and the upcoming District Development Council polls in Jammu and Kashmir took centrestage. The alliance was forged between seven regional parties of the union territory to demand the restoration of Article 370.
India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai discussed how ‘battlelines’ had been drawn in Jammu and Kashmir while on Times Now, Navika Kumar accused the Congress of playing ‘hide and seek’ with the nation over its stance on the Gupkar alliance.
First up, however, is Delhi’s worsening Covid-19 situation that was the topic of discussion on CNN News 18.
Anchor Zakka Jacob noted that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called an all-party meeting to discuss the coronavirus situation in Delhi Thursday.
“The meeting has been called even as a third wave of Covid-19 pandemic seems to be engulfing Delhi. More than 1 lakh cases have been added so far, just this month alone. The number is likely to increase further,” said Jacob.
He gave some more bad news: “We are given to understand that Delhi’s positivity rate is at 14 per cent, which is more than three times the national average.”
On India Today, anchor Rajdeep Sardesai said, “The battle lines have been drawn in a turbulent Jammu and Kashmir, (Home Minister) Amit Shah referred to the alliance of the Valley-based parties as the Gupkar gang and virtually accused them of working against national interest,” said Sardesai, referring to a series of tweets by Shah attacking the alliance.
“Delhi and Srinagar are locked in a bitter war of words. A war of words that’s taking place amid mounting terror incidents in the Valley,” he added.
He spoke to former J7K chief minister and the head of the Gupkar alliance Farooq Abdullah: “How should I introduce you today — as a three time former CM of Kashmir or as the head of the Gupkar gang, as suggested by Amit Shah?”
To which, Abdullah expressed his sadness, “I am very sad that a man of his stature as Home Minister of India calls people who are leaders of this country as gang. This is unfortunate.”
When Sardesai asked about Shah suggesting he was disloyal to the nation, Abdullah said, “I don’t think he has read the history of Farooq Abdullah. I have defended this nation in a number of international forums, one cannot forget that. I have never been anti-national.”
On Times Now, Navika Kumar had an entirely different problem with the Gupkar alliance and it had to do with the Congress.
“This isn’t just a matter of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a question of the mainstream Congress party and today, it has been caught lying on national issues.”
“Congress has been trying to play hide and seek with the country on their stand on the Gupkar alliance,” she added.
Congress is reportedly partnering with the alliance for the upcoming DDC polls but in the past few days several of its members have clarified that it is not part of the alliance.
Kumar played an audio clip of Congress leader Gulzar Wani, who praised the alliance and said that it was good to be united against the BJP and also noted that they wanted Article 370 to be restored in the erstwhile state.
“A Congress neta has completely exposed his own party’s stand, in fact Gulzar Wani has confirmed that he indeed endorses the call to bring back Article 370,” she said.
And away from politics and coronavirus, Zee News’ Sudhir Chaudhury was preoccupied with another important topic — Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli’s paternity leave. Kohli will leave the upcoming Australia tour, midway in December, for paternity leave.
Chaudhary explained what paternity leave was and also clarified that he was not criticising Kohli.
“He is a great player,” he said, adding that “people have learnt how to balance their family life with their duties and responsibilities”.
Chaudhury, however, did go on to narrate an incident involving Sardar Vallabhai Patel. He noted that Patel was in court when he was informed of his wife’s death but he continued to argue his case and went to see his deceased wife only after the hearing was over. What’s the implication here, Mr Chaudhury?
Anchor Ravish Kumar debated ‘love jihad’ on NDTV India. It is an alleged phenomenon where Muslim men are accused of persuading Hindu girls to convert under the guise of love.
“Indian society at its very core is scared of love, a society that listens to love songs day and night from Hindi cinema is now so scared of love,” he said
Kumar explained what ‘love jihad’ was and said people were so afraid of love that they had to create a bhoot (ghost) out of the fear, which was love jihad.
He then made a stinging comment and said, “What expectations would you have from a society where 90 per cent relations are decided on the basis of dowry. How much love would there be?
