Front Page
Tuesday’s headlines are dominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump’s meeting at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France. Mainstream newspapers feature an intimate photograph of Modi grabbing Trump’s hand and thumping it, jokingly. Also making news today is the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s decision to transfer a surplus of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the government this fiscal year—in The Indian Express it displaces the Modi-Trump meeting as the top story.
Modi-Trump meet
On Monday, Trump said PM Modi “feels he has the situation under control and that India and Pakistan could handle the issue on their own, reiterating New Delhi’s position that the issue is a bilateral one”, writes Hindustan Times.
“Trump listening, Modi says Kashmir is a bilateral issue,” headlines The Indian Express. A “month after” Donald Trump “stunned Delhi by claiming” that Modi “had asked him to mediate on Kashmir,” the US President “looked on as the PM made it clear that all issues with Pakistan are bilateral, and India doesn’t bother any other country about them”, adds Express.
The Times of India chooses a dramatic headline, “Trump backs off, says India and Pak can work things out”. PM Modi’s meeting with the US President “passed off without a hiccup with no offer of mediation on Jammu and Kashmir cropping up”, writes TOI. Calling it Trump’s “bilateral mantra”, Trump believed that India and Pakistan could arrive at solutions.
Only The Hindu notes that G7 has “agreed to spend 20 million euros on the Amazon, mainly to send fire-fighting aircraft to tackle the huge blazes engulfing many parts of the world’s biggest rainforest”.
For the rest, the newspapers don’t reveal what happened at the culmination of the G-7 summit, leaving that to the inside pages.
RBI surplus
With the headline, “Turning new page, RBI dips into its reserves to transfer record Rs 1.76 lakh crore to Govt”, Express writes that RBI’s move “could enable the government kick-start a much needed public spending push, alongside possible paring of the fiscal deficit, estimated at 3.3 per cent of the GDP”.
The Hindu’s headline suggested largesse, “RBI showers Rs 1.76 lakh crore bonanza on government”. It notes that RBI’s provisioning for “monetary, financial and external stability risks is the country’s savings for a rainy day”, which has been “consciously maintained with the RBI in view of its role as the Monetary Authority and the Lender of Last Resort”.
TOI brings to light that the “transfer of excess provision has been a bone of contention between the RBI and government” since the time “Raghuram Rajan was the governor”. Express in its ‘Explained’ box adds that the RBI, under Shaktikanta Das “believes its reserves are sufficient, the amount isn’t big – and this is the push the economy needs”.
Chidambaram case
Also on the front page, former finance minister P. Chidambaram’s INX Media case, a Delhi court “extended the custodial interrogation” of Chidambaram “by the CBI by four more days until August 30, hours after the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal against” a Delhi High Court order “quashing his petition seeking protection from arrest”, reports HT.
Alongside the Chidambaram report, The Hindu features ED filing chargesheet against Associated Journals Ltd, Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Motilal Vora for “alleged illegal reallotment of a Panchkula plot to the company in 2005.” The chargesheet states “that the accused persons were directly involved in the process or activity connected with acquisition, possession or projection of proceeds of crime i.e. Plot no. C-17, Sector – 6, Panchkula to the tune of Rs 64.9 crore,” it writes.
Kashmir
HT’s choice of lead on one of its flaps is “Govt to push Aadhaar enrolment in Kashmir”. The Centre “plans to intensify Aadhaar enrolments” in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly “Kashmir Valley where the penetration of unique ID that is the key to government benefits is very low”, reports HT.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan also makes it to the front page Tuesday, as he describes India’s decision on Jammu and Kashmir as a “historic blunder”. HT quotes Khan, “Other nations should remember, both countries have nuclear weapons… In a nuclear war, no one will win… the entire world will face consequences.”
The Hindu features a picture from Srinagar showcasing “a semblance of normalcy” as “restrictions eased in areas under 69 police stations”.
Opinion
The Indian Express: In “The wrong counsel”, Express criticises the Press Council of India (PCI)’s stance on continuing communication restrictions in Kashmir, following the move on Article 370 in the name of “national interest of integrity and sovereignty” — Kashmir Times has gone to the Supreme Court against asking for the lifting of these restrictions. This goes against the body’s responsibility as “a guardian of press freedom” and past track record. During the 1990 insurgency, PCI made way for responsible reporting in Kashmir and even produced a “good report” in 2017 on media in the Valley. Express calls out PCI chairman Justice C.K. Prasad for overriding the “dissent of members representing the press on the ground” and doling out a lesson on responsible journalism, while local, national and international press in Kashmir struggle to get their stories out.
The Hindu: In “Gold Winner”, the daily praises badminton player P.V. Sindhu for her big win at the World Championships in Basel, Switzerland. After a “string of losses” over the last three years, Sindhu has proven “big-game temperament”. Her performance was strong and consistent, writes The Hindu, with “ferocious hitting” against Japanese rival Nozomi Okuhara, whom she lost to two years ago. As the first Indian shuttler to claim the world title, the newspaper compares Sindhu to the likes of Prakash Padukone and P. Gopichand and debates her chances of winning gold at the 2020 Olympic Games. Sindhu’s win suggests “a new generation of talent has to break through” in India, particularly female athletes, it writes.
Prime Time
Celebrations after “Modi defeats Imran” (India Today), were tempered by the “#BulandshahrShame” (India Ahead).
News X found time for “#SpaceRacism” accusing NASA of singling out 49 alleged pieces of space debris from India as poor space hygiene.
And anchor Faye D’Souza resurfaced on Mirror Now after a break to feel the “#BulandshahrShame” too. Mirror Now was the only channel to discuss climate change as the Amazon rainforest fire raged on in Brazil.
CNN News 18: The garland welcome bestowed on seven men involved in the killing of inspector Subodh Kumar in Bulandshahr last year, appalled all news anchors — including Bhupendra Chaubey on `Viewpoint’: “Accused of killing a cop, but hailed as Hero. Will victims of lynching ever get justice?” he asked.
BJP’s Anila Singh said, “As a BJP spokesperson, I’m saying we stand with the law and not any individual…The High Court has granted bail, not the BJP.”
“Everybody, including the media had helped us get the accused behind bars — now they’re being welcomed with garlands,” commented Shrey Pratap Singh, inspector Kumar’s son.
Lawyer Avani Bansal said that in this country, “you can no longer separate questions of law, politics and religion… why doesn’t the BJP come out and say we are expelling Shikhar Agrawal (key accused and BJP youth leader) from the party?”
Republic: #ModiG7Magic was RepublicTV’s hashtag, after the Modi-Trump meeting. Anchor Arnab Goswami called Modi’s “win” at the G7 Summit a “diplomatic surgical strike” — the PM insisted that Kashmir is a bilateral issue and Trump acquiesced.
“We don’t need a Trump to tell us what to do on Kashmir, why do we need a certificate from him?” demanded political analyst Vivek Srivastava.
G.V.L. Narasimha Rao of BJP turned boastful — this government alone had the “capacity” to integrate J&K with India, and “there is nothing to discuss with Pakistan”, he insisted.
“India has never seen such a decisive leadership. What does Imran Khan have to offer today?” asked Rajat Sethi, senior fellow at India Foundation.
Pakistani political analyst Dr Raja Qaiser wasn’t impressed: “Modi was saying Kashmir was an internal issue, today he’s telling Trump it was a bilateral issue.”
“The only thing to talk about in Jammu and Kashmir is PoK.” added political analyst Sushant Sareen.
Aaj Tak: Rohit Sardana on “Dangal” talked about Modi’s “Trump card” and Pakistan’s reaction to it.
Maj. Gen. Bishamber Dayal (Retd) said, “There is no comparison between India and Pakistan. Today, Modi’s body language lifted every Indian’s spirits.”
Political commentator Ashutosh concurred: “Modi and Trump’s visuals from today’s G7 summit explains India’s global position compared to Pakistan. Pakistan is merely America’s satellite state.”
Political analyst Salman Nizami retorted, “No one is talking about Kashmir and Kashmiris.”
India TV: On India TV’s “Kurukshetra”, BJP’s Shahnawaz Hussain said, “Modi made it clear in front of the world that nobody has to interfere in our internal matters.”
However, Kashmiri activist Waqar H. Bhatti was unconvinced: “Since the day Article 370 was revoked, BJP leaders have been claiming that Kashmir is not an issue… Why did Modi, then have to mention it to Trump during the G7 Summit?”
“The only voice that matters is that of Kashmiris who have been under lockdown for 22 days,” he reminded everyone.