New Delhi: Prime time Tuesday was consumed by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to India for the 2+2 ministerial dialogue between the US and India. Some channels focused on the Bihar Assembly elections, with voting in the first phase today. And NDTV 24×7 was concerned about actor Deepika Padukone’s manager being summoned by the Narcotics Control Bureau.
First, to CNBC TV18, where Parikshit Luthra took viewers through all that happened during the 2+2 dialogue: “India and the US held a crucial strategic and defence dialogue in New Delhi… The two sides inked five agreements including the important pact on sharing geo-spatial intelligence called the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement [BECA].”
Luthra added, “Clearly, the focus was on countering China’s aggression in the South China Sea and Eastern Ladakh. Both sides spent a substantial amount of time discussing how to deepen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.”
He also recalled Pompeo’s statement that the US stood with India in its efforts to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty, and his words that the Chinese Communist Party “was no friend of democracy”.
Meanwhile, Times Now’s Rahul Shivshankar, in conversation with Pompeo, asked a few blunt questions. “You have signed certain foundational agreements that take the relationship to a completely different level. We have even mentioned the destabilising actions of China. Has the US decided to offer India more than just diplomatic assistance in the event of a conflict with China or Pakistan?”
Pompeo replied, “We just signed a series of important agreements. The agreements themselves are less important than the central understanding that came alongside them. What’s become very clear now is that there is a battle. And the battle in the world is between freedom and authoritarianism. And India, like the US has chosen democracy and sovereignty.”
He added, “When confronted by tyranny, the Chinese Communist Party, you can be sure that the US will stand alongside its partners.”
In the wake of the alleged murder of a 20-year-old woman in Faridabad’s Ballabhgarh in which the main accused is a man reportedly named Tauseef, News18 India debated ‘love jihad’.
“We first must understand what Islam says about love. Islam doesn’t accept love before marriage, there is no place for relationships in Islam. And if there is no place for love before marriage in Islam, how can you call it love jihad?” asked Maulana Sajid Rashidi, rather bewilderingly.
When questioned about a direct connection of the accused with the Congress, party spokesperson Alka Lamba began naming all the cases of violence against women in cities of Haryana and UP — both BJP-governed states. “Our demand is that the case should be fast-tracked and the accused be hanged,” she insisted.
“When terrorists are Muslim, liberal begin debating about how terrorism has no religion. When a rapist is Muslim, liberals start the same discussion again,” argued the BJP’s Sambit Patra, predictably.
Moving to the Bihar polls, Aaj Tak discussed the campaign rallies of the JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar and how the Opposition has a fixed set of people that it sends to Kumar’s rallies to create a ruckus.
“People go to rallies of their own will to see the politicians they like. If Tejashwi Yadav, and not Nitish Kumar, is addressing a popular topic of concern, then more people will go there,” RJD spokesperson Naval Kishore argued. “In reality, Yadav’s crowded rallies are becoming a point of contention for Nitish Kumar,” he added.
The debate hit a low point when Kishore used certain profanities, at which the JD(U)’s Ajay Alok hit back, “He has lost his mental stability, what will he even debate about? You can see the kind of values he is preaching to the youth.”