BJP in damage control mode

 Home Ministry recommended to President , to reject the mercy petition of  Afzal Guru.

Most national dailies have prominently reported another honour killing in Delhi, with the discovery of the body of Shubha Nagar - cousin of Monica Singh, who, along with her husband Kuldeep Singh, had been killed under similar circumstances earlier.

The Times of India, calling it "horror killings" writes, that this "grotesque and macabre dance of death being enacted in the badlands of Haryana and UP, is now taking place within metropolitan Delhi."

Under the headline "BJP in damage control mode", The Hindu writes that the party has begun a series of internal meetings to find an "honourable" way out of the political mess it finds itself in with JD(U).  The Asian Age has speculated on the possibility of Nitish Kumar trying to lead "a possible 3rd front", ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha Polls.

 Newspapers have widely reported the steep hike in auto and taxi fares, in both Delhi and Mumbai.  At the same time, there's much speculation on whether or not petrol and diesel prices will be raised.  Hindustan Times writes that the Government is unlikely to go ahead with another fuel price hike, when the Empowered Group of Ministers meet on 25th June.  The Hindu feels that the rise in fuel prices seems imminent.

The top story in The Asian Age reveals that the army will depute brigadiers and colonels to the Union Home Ministry to act as advisers on anti-Naxal operations.

The Times of India reports that the UPA government is working out a 3,400 crore rupee package to upgrade the infrastructure in Naxal-hit districts.

The Indian Express reports that the Union Home Ministry has recommended to President Paribha Patil, to reject the mercy petition of Parliament attack convict, Afzal Guru.

The paper also reports on its front page that according to the CBI, the Ajmer blast of 2007, and the Mecca Masjid blasts in Hyderabad the same year, were carried out by the same Hindu extremeist group.

Is it "Endgame Modi"?  This question is posed by Hindustan Times, which reports that the BCCI has rejected Lalit Modi's showcause reply, calling it unsatisfactory