Your Morning Briefing for 27 September 2020

Good morning, 

We are covering the Indian Army's preparations for the harsh Ladakh winter, the murder of a Dalit lawyer and activist in Gujarat and how Agra survived the lockdown. 

Big Story

The chaotic passage of two farm Bills in Rajya Sabha last Sunday saw the Opposition accuse Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh of "brazenly" ignoring their calls for division of votes. Harivansh justified rejection of the demand saying the members weren't in their seats. Official footage of Rajya Sabha Television, reviewed by The Indian Express, shows otherwise.

From The Front Page

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, a founding member of the NDA, always referred to his party’s ties with the BJP as ‘nau-maas da rishta’ (nail-and-flesh ties). On Saturday, the SAD walked out of the ruling coalition at the Centre in protest against the three farm Bills passed in Parliament. 

In a rare, strong public rebuke on China’s debt-trap diplomacy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India strengthens its development partnership without any “mala fide intent” of making a partner country “dependent or hapless”. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, he also took a swipe at China-Pakistan ties. 

With hopes of an early resolution of the border crisis fast receding, the Indian Army has been preparing for the winter deployment of troops in Ladakh. Given the harsh Ladakh winter, the two sides, sources said, may have to come down from some of the heights they currently occupy, and there could be a slight reduction in the number of troops. 

BJP national president J P Nadda picked a new team to potentially steer the party organisation into the next Lok Sabha election in 2024. The new list is significant as much for the names it leaves out — both Ram Madhav and P Muralidhar Rao, the two general secretaries considered close to the RSS, have been dropped.

Actor Deepika Padukone arrives for questioning by the NCB in Mumbai on Saturday.

Must Read

What is it like to be a Dalit in the 21st century? Yesterday, we brought you a report on the alleged gangrape of a Dalit girl by men from the Upper Caste in a UP village. Now, sharing contrasting views on Brahminism proved to be costly for a Dalit lawyer in Gujarat who was murdered by an employee of a stationary shop.

In what is seen as a post Covid-19 course, several mothers in rural Maharashtra are stepping into the shoes of Shashi Godbole, essayed by the late Sridevi, in filmmaker Gauri Shinde’s debut English Vinglish (2012). “I want to speak English as fluently as I speak Marathi,” one of them says. 

Until March 17 this year, the one-kilometre-long road known as Tajganj, which stretches between the Taj Mahal and the Shilpgram car parking would be swarming with people. As its most famous tourist attraction reopens after six months owing to Covid, a look at how Agra survived the lockdown and what the future holds.

They have always leaned Democrat, but this time, with just over a month to go for US polls, the Indian American vote is showing the friction of politics in India. Republicans have the advantage of Trump and Modi’s public courtship; Democrats the onus of their Kashmir stance. We help you understand what this — and the Kamala Harris factor — could mean in a race that is entering the final lap.

ICYMI

• The government Saturday ordered the immediate commencement of paddy procurement in Punjab and Haryana owing to the early arrival of the harvest in mandis.
  
• The Navratri festivities organised by the Gujarat government has been cancelled in the wake of Covid-19, an official statement said on Saturday.
  
• Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s meeting at an upscale hotel in Mumbai prompted speculation in the state’s political circles.
  
• A suit has been filed in a Mathura court, seeking removal of a mosque which they allege was built after a part of a Hindu shrine was razed on orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
• An FIR was registered against two councilors, the husband of a council leader, and others for allegedly assaulting and threatening the editor of a regional daily newspaper in Chhattisgarh.

And Finally...

Long before Belarus’s streets erupted in protest, a theatre group had been exiled for its dogged, but peaceful, resistance to the Alexander Lukashenko regime. 

After more than three decades since it first stepped into online retail, Apple finally launched its online store in India. In our latest podcast, we talk about what you can look forward to at the Apple Store, and what makes its experience unique.

Until tomorrow, 

Leela Prasad G and Liu Chuen Chen