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The Congress-led Bharat Bandh over rising fuel prices made headlines in Tuesday’s papers for alleged arson by the participants. Even so, some media outlets noted that the overall reaction to the strike was muted.
“The much-touted ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by the Congress and supported by 21 parties over rising fuel prices received a lukewarm response…” DNA reported.
Hopes to present a united political front ahead of 2019 were split down the middle as several parties stayed away: The AAP refused outright to participate, and the SP and the BSP decided to hold protests of their own, rendering the bandh ineffective in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh.
“These are not good signs for the health of the Congress,” said Firstpost in an analysis. However, opinions about whether the bandh failed are mixed. News18‘s headline reads “Bharat Bandh in MP: Congress Calls Shutdown Successful, BJP Dubs it Anarchic”, while another by NDTV says, “Bharat Bandh LIVE Updates: People “Indifferent” To Bandh, They Understand, Says Government”.
Some reports used the death of a child in Bihar to demonstrate the movement’s failure, with the video of a man holding a child’s body shared widely on social media.
While it is true that a two-year-old girl died during the protests, with the BJP alleging that her ambulance was held back by protesters, the video — first circulated by a woman followed by the Prime Minister — was found to be completely unrelated.
Misleading video circulated as death of child in Bihar due to Bharat bandh protest https://t.co/foJ4Wa2xal
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) September 10, 2018
Meanwhile, the prices of fuel continue to rise, with the cost of petrol surpassing Rs 88/litre in Mumbai and hovering in the 80s in other metropolitan cities.
But suspicions have risen about the bandh’s timing, on account of the ongoing National Herald case against Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
The BJP has alleged the bandh was merely a ploy to “divert” attention from the alleged scam, The Times of India reports.
Page 13 of the daily also reveals that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is on the tax department’s scanner regarding alleged “financial irregularities” in the Gomti river project, commissioned by the former Uttar Pradesh CM.
The alleged irregularities “range from ‘excess payments’ to awarding contracts to blacklisted companies”, The Times of India reported.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has asked sessions judge S. K. Yadav, tasked with completing the Babri masjid triale by April 2019, how he intends to do so.
The request came as Yadav moved the Supreme Court against an order stalling his transfer till the trial was completed.
The order disallowing his transfer has affected his promotions, he said. “In his plea to the Supreme Court, Yadav requested that he be allowed to file an application seeking cancellation of the notification that has stalled his promotion on transfer,” The Indian Express reports.
Prime Time
Should fuel come under GST?
India Today TV discussed the rising fuel prices and possible solutions. In the debate, which came in light of the Congress-led Bharat Bandh Monday, the channel asked whether fuel prices can be brought under GST.
Sayed Zafar Islam of the BJP said fuel is taxed by every government, including the “(erstwhile) UPA government”. He added that the government is currently looking into “options” so that the common man is not exposed to this volatility in fuel prices.
The silence of BJP leaders
On NDTV India, anchor Ravish Kumar questioned the silence of BJP leaders who protested on the streets when fuel prices rose under the Congress-led UPA.
He also showed several video clips from the archives where senior BJP leaders Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Sushma Swaraj are seen criticising the UPA government for rising fuel prices. Kumar asked why BJP members were not asking their own government the same questions.
Business Class
Fans get ready for new Apple products. At a ceremony Wednesday at its California-based headquarters, Bloomberg reports, the company will “launch three new iPhones, revamped iPad Pros, Apple Watches with larger screens, a new entry-level laptop with a sharper screen, a pro-focused Mac mini desktop computer and new accessories like the AirPower wireless charger”. But no major breakthrough feature is expected.
RBI directive on storing payments data locally: After the RBI made it mandatory to store all payments-related data in India, Google has asked for two more months to comply, reports Business Standard.
Point of View
The Valley’s biggest players, the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have decided to boycott the J&K local body elections over the Article 35A row. The Indian Express, in its editorial, criticises both the parties for their decision. It writes “…There is a serious security situation that threatens the safety of participants. A boycott, however, plays into the hands of all those who want to see the situation worsen.”
Is there a hidden cause for concern in the 8.2 per cent GDP growth rate recorded by India in April-June? Journalist Puja Mehra writes in a column in The Hindu, “The cause for caution is that the GDP growth continues to be powered by consumption, not investments. Consumption-led growth is sustainable up to a point, especially if it is financed by expanding the government (Centre plus States’ cumulative fiscal) deficit.”
News it’s just kinda cool to know
Have you ever wondered why another ice age hasn’t hit Earth? Research finds ancient farming methods have something to do with it. “Ancient farming practices which led to a rise in the atmospheric emission of heat-trapping gasses like carbon dioxide and methane, a rise that has continued since, has profoundly changed Earth’s climate,” reports News18 for IANS. If it weren’t for this, another ice age could have hit around the time of the Industrial revolution, scientists estimate.
With inputs from Ratnadeep Choudhary