New Delhi: On the eve of Holi, television news offered up a potpourri of issues in different colours. Sudhir Chaudhary strategised a coranavirus-free Holi on Zee News, Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami couldn’t think of festivals with ISIS on his mind, while at ABP News, Rubika Liyaquat teased viewers about Bihar’s new mystery girl of politics.
On NDTV India’s ‘Prime Time’, Ravish Kumar pondered the new hoardings in Lucknow that display the names and details of 50 people accused of damaging public property during anti-CAA protests on 19 December 2019. The Allahabad High Court has asked the UP government to remove them.
This list of people so exposed includes former IPS Officer S.R Darapuri Congress member Sadaf Jafar, and even an 80-year lawyer named Shoaib. Darapuri said the hoardings’ purpose was to target and defame the people they publicly list, and must be challenged in the high court. Jafar said that by revealing names and addresses at places where their children, friends, parents and relatives pass, it was clearly an “unethical” means of defamation.
On ‘The Newshour’ with Padmaja Joshi, the Times Now anchor discussed Madhya Pradesh’s latest politicking. Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s government is tottering amid allegations of horse-trading with the BJP, and a battle within the Congress between Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia.
“What is happening, Subharansh Rai? Now, you don’t even need anyone else to poach your people, because Congress is poaching Congress?” Joshi pointedly asked the political analyst. Rai coolly responded with a non-sequitur: there was a “master stroke” on every side, and nothing could be predicted in politics, he observed.
Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami addressed one of his favorite topics: Is there an ‘ISIS link emerging in Delhi riots?’ Goswami claimed that investigators now believe that a top Popular Front of India (PFI) operative was in “constant touch” with an Islamic State offshoot to “ensure bloodshed” in the capital. “This is what we had warned of,” he said, in a smug told-you-so tone.
Islamic scholar Atiq Ur Rehman argued that if we really want to fight terrorism, we need to be united in our efforts and take the Muslim community along, not isolate them by calling them “gaddars”.
India Today, too, was interested in the reported IS link to violence in Delhi. ‘India First’ host Gaurav Sawant debated the Delhi Police’s arrest of a couple with apparent connections to a module of the Islamic State.
Political analyst Syed Abbas told Sawant that all Muslims watching his programme in the country, believed in one diktat – “You kill one man, it’s like killing mankind, and if you save one life it’s like saving the whole of mankind”.
He added that ISIS was a “lost plot” that Indian Muslims denounced. He said that no mention of ISIS was made during any anti-CAA protests — in fact, “ISIS murdabad” was a common refrain in the community. BJP’s Aman Sinha said that he appreciated Abbas’ dismissal of the IS, but could not understand why he objected to the arrest of those with alleged links.
At ABP News, Rubika Liyaquat sought to discover “Mystery Girl Of Bihar Politics” – London-based Pushpam Priya Choudhary. The newcomer has challenged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, she explained. Hoardings with slogans like “Love Bihar. Hate Politics” have announced her 2020 candidature for state elections on the streets of Patna. Founder of the new political party called ‘Plurals’, she is the daughter of renowned JD(U) leader Vinod Choudhary, revealed Liyaquat.
On Zee News’ ‘DNA’, host Sudhir Chaudhary wished viewers a happy Holi and introduced a special segment on how to have a safe coronavirus-free Holi. Colours and “pichkaaris” do not spread the virus, he assured viewers, but added, certain precautions must be taken. Visuals of people applying gulaal whilst wearing surgical masks flooded the screen, while Chaudhary explained that there was a danger of not recognising people due to the Holi colours, and a coronavirus-infected person could potentially be touched or hugged.
This is why crowded areas must be avoided, he explained, and Holi Milan programmes must be avoided. By playing with only “jaan pehchaan ke swasth log” (personally known, healthy people) at home, one could be safe to some extent, he said.