New Delhi: Prime time news on TV channels was primarily consumed by updates on Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze’s case. Waze is being probed by the National Investigation Agency in connection with the death of Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the Scorpio vehicle found with explosives outside industrialist’s Mukesh Ambani’s residence, Antilia.
Times Now’s Swati Joshi credited her own channel’s ‘exclusive’ — “Times Now’s mega exclusive on the Antilia probe had sparked off a massive political fight.”
“A day after the explosive Param Bir Singh letter was broken, NCP chief Sharad Pawar came out to defend the Agadhi government saying there is no proof of exchange of money,” Joshi said. Mumbai’s former Commissioner of Police, Singh had written a letter to the Maharashtra chief minister alleging that Home Minister Deshmukh had instructed officers, including Waze, to collect Rs 100 crore a month from bars, restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai.
“As BJP steps up attack on Pawar, Sanjay Raut has hit back at BJP saying Modi and Amit Shah also take advise of Pawar sahib — does it mean that Pawar saheb lies?” Joshi wondered.
India Today’s Tanushree Pande was in conversation with top BJP leader and Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Pandey gave a rather detailed introduction, “We have with us someone who knows his math and has his nose to the ground, he’s favoured to win from any seat in Assam.”
“Most importantly, it is his astute political instinct to win, to play the game successfully that keeps him ahead of everyone else. One of the most prominent and popular political leaders in Assam and BJP’s face in the Northeast — Himanta Biswa,” she declared with a flourish.
“A few months ago, one would have easily been able to predict a clean sweep of BJP and its allies. Now, there is a tough fight on the ground,” she added.
To which Sarma replied, “You can go to the ground and compare yourself. There is a BJP wave in Assam. BJP will gain more seats than before and Congress is nowhere in the competition.”
As the BJP unveiled its manifesto for West Bengal Saturday, Zee News anchor Aditi Tyagi asked, what is BJP’s vision for ‘Sonar Bangla’?
However the #Manifestodebate Sunday turned into a political slugfest between the BJP and Trinamool Congress spokespersons who exchanged allegations and didn’t debate the topic.
TMC spokesperson Sanjay Sharma criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark about Mamata Banerjee, in which he said that he will let her kick him, but will not let her kick the development of West Bengal. Whereupon, BJP’s O. P. Singh said that there are many posters in West Bengal in which Mamata Banerjee is placing her foot on PM Modi’s head. “This is their sanskar, this is what the TMC does,” he said in a raised voice.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) spokesperson Waris Pathan, meanwhile, was busy singing his party’s praise: “People in Bengal are looking for an alternative beyond BJP, Left and TMC. They are looking at development and growth, which only AIMIM can provide.”
NDTV India anchor Naghma Sahar also discussed the Sachin Waze case and Parambir Singh’s letter addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The show included comments by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Julio Ribeiro, asked by National Congress chief Sharad Pawar to head the investigation into the allegations against Deshmukh.
Ribeiro, who refused to be a part of the investigation, said, “I would not like to touch this kind of murky situation. I would not touch this with a barge-pole… this is a very tricky situation and I do not know where all this is going to lead to. It is better for the politicians to settle it themselves,” he said.
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