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Young Turks making a mark in Indian politics? The Communist Party of India refrained from joining speculation about whether its most high-profile member, Kanhaiya Kumar, could become the joint opposition candidate from Begusarai in Bihar in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, reports The Times of India.
Party sources said its national executive would take a call on the matter later this year. Twitter has been abuzz with reports that Lalu Prasad of Rashtriya Janata Dal wants Kanhaiya to contest from Begusarai, and reacted swiftly to news of the firebrand student leader’s possible entry into politics.
Kanhaiya, asked in an interview with Aaj Tak about the old accusations of sedition and anti-nationalism slapped on him, said, “The soil of Begusarai has given birth to rashtrakavis (national poets), not rashtradrohis (traitors).”
“Begusarai ke log is baat se poori tarah parichit hain (The people of Begusarai know this well),” he added.
Kanhaiya told The Indian Express that he was keen on joining the parliamentary process, but his party would take the final call, the newspaper reports.
Meanwhile, Zee News quoted former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju as saying that the “mahan krantikaari phusphuse saabit huye“. This was a swipe at Kanhaiya, with Katju suggesting that “great revolutionary has turned out to be a dud” whose revolution is limited to parliamentary politics.
It was expected of the pro-BJP Zee TV to be critical of anyone critical of the BJP, but Katju? The former high-profile judge was expected to speak out in favour of those upholding the Constitution, not denigrate them.
Interestingly, Hindi Times Now reported that RSS ideologue and Rajya Sabha member Rakesh Sinha may fight the 2019 poll from Begusarai, his home-town.
“The contest will be ‘dilchasp (interesting)’,” Times Now said.
As expected, the BJP had brickbats about reports of Kanhaiya’s LS candidature.
Kanhaiya Kumar As Joint Opposition Candidate Has Lalu Yadav's Votehttps://t.co/A2UXjmGWB8
what happened to his PHD? Did he complete? He got a seat and money at the cost of others? Any news of this pl?
— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) September 3, 2018
The mask is slipping.
The real face of @kanhaiyakumar is showing his political opportunism, lust for power & his chameleon-like stand on political issues.
We had seen how @arvindkejriwal got exposed, once in power. Next up, the ugly face of Kanhaiya Kumar. pic.twitter.com/hGN1wneHHA
— Sudhanshu Mittal (@SudhanshuBJP) September 2, 2018
But several netizens, unhappy about “questions over Kanhaiya Kumar’s PhD”, began questioning Mohandas Pai and others about the status of “their” leaders’ degrees, hinting at the multiple controversies over the educational qualification of PM Narendra Modi, union minister Smriti Irani, etc.
Hello @TVMohandasPai , now that you have an answer to your question about @kanhaiyakumar ‘s PhD degree, do you want to scrutinize any more degrees? Hint: PM Modi, Smriti Irani, and so on…. pic.twitter.com/gzF74wsDxI
— SamSays (@samjawed65) September 3, 2018
Yes Mohandas, @kanhaiyakumar has got his PhD. Now can you ask your master to show his degree as well. Also while on it, your institute, totally profit-making venture, is to get 1000 crore from tax-payer's money for being #InstituteOfExcellence, right? pic.twitter.com/YsjME8IuJq
— Aparna (@chhuti_is) September 3, 2018
Meanwhile, the fast of Hardik Patel, Gujarat’s young Patidar leader, entered its tenth day Monday, reports The Indian Express. Hardik has been on a fast to demand reservation for the Patidar community in government jobs, education, and farm loan waiver.
Leaders from different political parties, like former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda of the Janata Dal (Secular), Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party have come out in support of the young leader and requested him to end the fast.
हार्दिक पटेल अपने समाज व किसानों के प्रति किए गए संकल्पों की पूर्ति के लिए जिस तरह अनशन करते हुए संघर्षरत हैं, वो सराहनीय है. लेकिन हमारा उनसे आग्रह है कि वो अपनी सेहत का ध्यान रखें क्योंकि जनता को जाग्रत करनेवाले उनके आंदोलन व समर्थकों को उनके सक्रिय नेतृत्व की परम आवश्यकता है.
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) September 3, 2018
किसानों की क़र्ज़ माफ़ी होनी चाहिए। हार्दिक पटेल ग़रीब किसानों की लड़ाई लड़ रहे हैं। सभी किसान और पूरा समाज उनके साथ है। उनकी तपस्या व्यर्थ नहीं जाएगी। प्रभू उन्हें शक्ति दे। https://t.co/NSN1GQ8XTx
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 3, 2018
This marks a significant shift towards the kind of future leaders India might see and the opposition that is building against the ruling BJP.
‘How can the police do this? The matter is subjudice’: The Bombay High Court Monday questioned Maharashtra police over the media briefing on the arrested human rights activists, reports The Hindu.
The observation made front-page headlines in most of the leading dailies. At a media conference held by additional director general of police Parambar Singh on 31 August, police had claimed they had letters and other proof linking the activists to “the overground cadre of outlawed Maoists” .
The court asked police how they could have revealed information that could be used as evidence in the case. It barred police from holding any more press conferences on the matter.
Media freedom on trial, and convicted: The conviction of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo in Myanmar has sparked global protests. A Myanmar court held them guilty for breaching an archaic law on state secrets and sentenced them to seven years in jail, reports The Hindu.
The journalists were held over their reportage on the brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi and its military have been criticised internationally for the crackdown, which has been widely labelled a subversion of democracy and human rights.
The Indian Express front page had a moving picture of Wa Lone signalling a thumbs up, even in handcuffs.
Business Class
Vodafone Idea Limited has raised Rs 15 billion through non-convertible debentures (NCDs), the company said in a regulatory filing, reports Business Standard. Idea Cellular and Vodafone announced the completion of their $ 23.2 billion merger plan last week.
Japan-based investment firm SoftBank has intensified its search for an India head and is believed to have asked global executive search firm Egon Zehnder to look for suitable candidates, reports The Economic Times. The investment firm has stakes in many startups in the country like ride-hailing app Ola and hotel aggregator OYO, among others.
Point of View
Now, militants in the Valley are targeting family members of Kashmiri security personnel. Lt. General D.S. Hooda (Retd) writes in a column in The Indian Express, “There is a concerted effort to pressurise J&K police. Security forces must not fall into the trap of a tit-for-tat fight.”
Is politics in India becoming a reality show? Congress leader and former union minister Milind Deora thinks so. In a column in The Economic Times, he writes, “Hostility, today, has become the centrepiece of politics. In India, it’s escalated to a point where even meeting with members of other parties, or consulting with voter groups that traditionally aren’t one’s own, becomes a subject for debate, scrutiny and criticism. Politics is fast becoming a reality show, fodder for the media to sensationalise and sell.”
Prime Time
Prime Time saw discussions on a range of issues last evening, from the appropriateness of the term ‘Dalit’ to India’s strategic relationship with the US. But what swept across televisions was what India Today TV termed #fuelonfire. Prices of oil are higher than ever before, with a litre costing up to Rs 86.54 in Mumbai and 79.15 in Delhi.
On Republic TV, senior journalist and panelist Arati Jerath said, “The fact is that if this government had any compassion… it would step in immediately and do something about cutting down excise and taxes”
In a refreshing turn, Arnab Goswami seemed to agree. “You wouldn’t be driving at Rs 86. It’s criminal,” he said.
BJP spokesperson Narendra Taneja appeared on both Times Now and India Today TV to defend the Centre’s involvement in fuel prices, saying they depended heavily on the global market, and adding that individual states are also responsible for the new fuel prices.
On CNN News 18, the discussion centred on the centrality of Ayodhya in the 2019 elections. The question of whether the BJP can deliver the Ram Mandir before 2019 was intertwined with a 1994 judgement that said a mosque is not necessary for Muslims to worship, as well as the impending Supreme Court judgment on the case.
BJP spokesperson I.P. Singh went the “mandir wahin banayenge” route, but panelist and senior journalist Sharat Pradhan dismissed it as a poll ploy of the party.
News it’s just kinda cool to know
A ship that was lost in 2009 has reappeared. It was last seen off the Taiwan coast and found on the southern coast of Myanmar. The ship was empty when fishermen went to inspect it, India Today reports. “No crew or cargo was found on the ship. It was quite puzzling how such a big ship turned up in our waters,” said an MP from Myanmar.
(With inputs from Simrin Sirur)