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TOI says China talks ‘tough’ on J&K, is it time to write Cong ‘obituary’, on CNN-News 18

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming meeting with Chinese President XI Jinping in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu on 11-12 October, is front page lead in mainstream newspapers Thursday.

Hindustan Times and The Hindu also carry India’s “synchronised slowdown” on Page 1.

Modi-Xi meet: Newspapers highlight the Kashmir angle to the talks. The Indian Express writes,  “Wrinkle in Xi’s red carpet: China and Pakistan raise Kashmir, India objects,” HT reports, “J&K off the table as Xi, Modi all set for summit,” The Times of India underlines  ‘tough’ talk – “Ahead of Modi-Xi meet, India, China talk tough on Kashmir”.

Express points out that hours after the announcement, “India took strong exception to a reference to Kashmir in a meeting between Xi and Pakistan PM.” It reiterates India’s statement, “it is not for other countries to comment on its internal affairs.”

TOI also claimed that “sharp words” were exchanged on Kashmir between New Delhi and Beijing. It quotes the Chinese President – “rights and wrongs of the situation in Kashmir are clear. China supports Pakistan in safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests.”

Hindu identifies a different news point altogether, “Modi-Xi ‘informal summit’”:  it writes that the meeting between the two leaders, “which follows the Wuhan summit last April that reset ties, is expected to enhance bilateral cooperation.”

Meanwhile HT states that “preparations for the Summit have been clouded by China’s concerns about a military exercise underway in Arunachal Pradesh,” and “remarks by Chinese envoy to Islamabad that appeared to back Pakistan’s position on Kashmir.”

IMF chief:  News from the economic front – the International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said, “The world’s largest emerging market economies such as India are experiencing a ‘more pronounced’ effect of ‘synchronised slowdown’,” reports HTHindu notes that this “will result in slower growth for 90% of the world this year.” Express and TOI don’t carry this news on page 1.

Nobel Prize: Three researchers won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for developing “lithium-ion batteries, paving the way for smartphones and a fossil fuel-free society,” writes HTHindu dedicates a graphic to the news while TOI carries it on the fold.

Others: “Several red flags fluttered right under RBI’s nose,” reports Express– on 4 October, “RBI reiterated that the banking system was ‘safe and sound’” after the PMC bank fraud and this raised “quite a few eyebrows.” It also reports that the central bank is setting up new “supervisory officers”.

In some hopeful news, HT reports that New Delhi “breathes the cleanest air in five years” the day after Dussehra.  This news finds a boxed mention in TOI.

Express writes, “in its first three responses to more than 250 writs of habeas corpus,” J&K Home Department has “informed the Srinagar wing of High Court that it has revoked the PSA slapped against the detainees.”

Opinion 

HT: Ahead of PM Modi and President XI Jinping’s meet in Tamil Nadu, the newspaper calls for a look at the “bigger picture.” The relationship between the two “has been buffeted by a string of irritants,” after Pakistan “was angered” by India’s decision to revoke J&K’s special status. HT hopes that this meet will give them “enough time for one-on-one conversations on where they would like to take the bilateral relationship.” India and China have “common concerns”, like “body blows dealt by unilateral actions” of the Trump administration “to global arrangements for trade and climate change.” HT writes that it will be “unfortunate if China opts to look at its relationship with India through the prism of Pakistan.”

Express: In ‘Denying Denmark’, the newspaper raises a question – “Are there some in this government, who feel insecure by the prospect of an Opposition leader going overseas?” This is in reference to the Centre denying ‘political clearance’ to Delhi CM Kejriwal to attend the C40 Cities Climate Summit in Copenhagen. It notes that Kejriwal was all set to highlight the work “his own government has done” in “reducing air pollution in Delhi.” The “scuppering of Kejriwal’s travel plans sends out messages unflattering to the BJP – and to India.” Express maintains that the government’s image of “sure-footedness” on the global stage “is dented” when it is seen to show “mean-spiritedness to” another Opposition leader especially “in full view of the world.”

Prime Time 

The sedition case in Patna against leading personalities, who wrote a letter to the Prime Minister condemning lynchings, got considerable traction Wednesday evening – the case has been now withdrawn.

India Today discussed this in relation to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comment that lynching was not an Indian concept. Anchor Rajdeep Sardesai asked, “Is the word ‘lynching’ being used to defame India? Is lynching a foreign construct?”

Many other channels scrutinized senior Congressman Salman Khurshid’s comment that Rahul Gandhi has deserted the party after the Lok Sabha polls.

CNN-News 18: Khurshid’s remark that “Rahul Gandhi had walked away” was the topic on `Right Stand’ with anchor Anand Narasimhan. The disintegration of the party and the alleged divide between the camps of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi was hotly contested.

Advocate Avani Bansal said, “If you are a liberal party, there will be voices of dissent. There has to be respect for a difference in opinion.”

Journalist Rasheed Kidwai admitted that the Congress was going through a “very bad phase’’. The party is “responsible for the state that it is in”, he observed.

BJP leader Tom Vadakkan, formerly Congress, had some advice and words of comfort for his old party: “There are course corrections that need to be done. General secretaries after losing one state after the other, are gifted more states they can’t handle.”

He added, however, “I’m not saying it is time to write Congress’ obituary.”

Republic: Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement at a poll rally in Loharu, Haryana that he would “jail” those who “abuse Bharat Mata” was discussed in the debate with anchor Arnab Goswami.

“The anti-nationals have abused freedom of expression to abuse India. Where does it say in the Constitution that you can abuse the country?” asked `Jan Ki Baat’ founder, Pradeep Bhandari.

Prafulla Ketkar, editor of Organiser, an RSS publication, went even further: “They will abuse the Constitution to overthrow the Constitution – they want to use all democratic rights to end democracy.”

BJP’s Gaurav Bhatia was acid in his allegations: “A Congress leader was seen telling supporters to not say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ but say ‘Sonia ki Jai’ instead. It is in their DNA.”

To which Ketkar added, nastily, “People who say ‘Sonia Gandhi ki jai’ are the biggest fascists.”

Aaj Tak: Leaders of the Congress party including Mallikarjun Kharge and Sanjay Dixit slammed Rajnath Singh’s Shastra Pooja on the Rafale jet, calling it a ‘tamasha’ (drama) – other leaders disagreed.

“Is Congress internally divided on its opinions?” asked anchor Rohit Sardana.

Political commentator Tehseen Poonawalla said, “There is nothing wrong in doing the puja… but Rajnath Singh did it for ‘TV entertainment’”

Sambit Patra stated that worshipping the war weapons is not a new phenomenon. Showing pictures to prove his point, he said, “The puja was also done when Tejas was inducted. Battle cries of various regiments of the Army are based on Hindu God’s names.”

Zee News: #CongKaAkhiriDaur trended on `Taal Thok Ke’ as anchor Mimansa Malik discussed the Congress party’s decline.

Journalist R. Rajagopalan believes Congress would be reduced to a single digit in 2024. “Congress (is) almost finished… Rahul Gandhi runs away after every election defeat,” he said.

Political analyst Ashutosh Mishra looked beyond the Gandhis: “If (Salman) Khurshid actually considered Rahul Gandhi his leader, he would have worked to spread the Congress’s ideology. The party is not dependent on only one person.”

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1 COMMENT

  1. It would be better for the country if Congress disappears altogether. Today’s Congress party are nothing but a bunch of thugs, crooks, cheats and criminals.

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