QWrap: Ram Mandir Pot Boils Before Polls; India Beat West Indies

Here’s a wrap of today’s top stories. 

(Photo: The Quint\ Kamran Akhter)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj

1. Bill for Ram Mandir in Parliament? Pressure Grows From BJP, Sangh

With the Winter Session of the Parliament due in December, members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent body RSS seem to be intensifying the push for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

BJP MP Rakesh Sinha on Thursday, 1 November, took to Twitter to hint that he will bring up a private member’s bill for the construction of the temple and asked if the Congress, BSP and other Opposition parties will support it.

Sinha also said that the verdict in cases like Section 377 and Sabarimala did not take that long , but the verdict on Ayodhya is pending for decades.

(Read the full story here)

2. India Thrash Windies to Win Sixth Consecutive ODI Series at Home

Team India finished a nine-wicket pummeling of the West Indies in the fifth and final ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday for their sixth successive series win at home.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took four wickets to help India bundle out the West Indies for 104 in just 31.5 overs. Pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with two wickets each.

The home team took just 14.5 overs to reach the paltry target, courtesy an unbeaten 99-run stand between Rohit Sharma (62 off 54) and captain Virat Kohli (33 off 29), following another low score from Shikhar Dhawan.

(Read the full story here)

3. India Will Benefit From US-China Trade War: Panagariya

Former Niti Aayog VP Panagariya stated that the trade war between the USA and China can go on for a long period of time. This is so because there is a general consensus in USA against the economic policies adopted by China.

But India should cash in on this situation. Due to restrictions imposed by the trade war, a lot of companies who had their bases in China or US will be seeking a new production base. They would want to shift their production units. We should try to woo them to our country.

This will be a huge benefit of our economy because multi-national companies usually work on large scale projects. They also have access to technology and possess better market specialisation which will be of immense help to us.

(Read the full story here)

4. BJP Left Reeling as Candidate Rejoins Cong 48 Hrs Before Bypolls

In a surprise move, 48 hours before the by-election to three Lok Sabha and two Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Ramanagara (Assembly seat), L Chandrashekar, quit the party and withdrew his candidature. Chandrashekar, who had joined the BJP three days before the submission of nominations, has now returned to the party and announced his support for JD(S) candidate Anitha Kumaraswamy.

In a statement to the media, Chandrashekar cited infighting in the BJP as the reason for his resignation from the party. “No one supported me in BJP in Ramanagara. In the last two days, no leaders have contacted me. Yesterday (Wednesday) I even tried calling Yeddyurappa but he didn't want to talk to me. I am backing out from polls,” he said.

(Read the full story here)

5. Google Pixel 3 XL Review: Worth Buying Over Other Flagship Phones?

Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL are now available in India with prices starting at Rs 71,000 and Rs 83,000 respectively. Last year’s Pixel 2 series didn’t really set the market on fire, mostly because consumers are yet to warm up to the brand and its existence with a flagship phone.

Will the Pixel 3 series offer anything different and give you a better value-for-money deal this year? We try finding that out in this review.

(Read the full story here)

6. 2018 Hyundai Santro Review: Not Just Old Wine in A New Bottle

A few days ago Hyundai India launched the 2018 Hyundai Santro, bringing back a brand that had almost become a household name in India since its launch in 1998. The car was phased out in 2014, but it’s back in a new avatar.

The question is, can this “all-new” Hyundai Santro beat its old rivals – the Maruti Wagon-R and Maruti Celerio and take on new competition from the likes of the Tata Tiago? The Quint was invited by Hyundai India to Bhubaneswar to drive the new Santro.

Before we get you the details of how this car drives, you may want to check out a quick walkaround from the launch of the car on 23 October. And yes, Shah Rukh Khan is still the brand’s brand ambassador.

(Read the full story here)