The selected cartoons appeared first in other publications, either in print or online, or on social media, and are credited appropriately.
In today’s featured cartoon, R. Prasad alludes to the Karnataka High Court judgment in the hijab row, which said wearing of the headscarf by Muslim women does not form part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith. In doing so, he also comments on the bigger picture for Muslim girls and women.
Sandeep Adhwaryu draws on the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) decisive victory in the Punjab assembly polls, which brought it to power in the state for the first time. However, Opposition leaders across the country — including West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao, who have been trying to build a federal front against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government — by and large did not extend congratulations to AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for the win.
E.P. Unny also refers to AAP’s victory in Punjab, with an overwhelming majority of 92 out of 117 seats and little to fear from a decimated Opposition. As a full-fledged state, Punjab also doesn’t have a lieutenant governor (L-G) with executive powers for the AAP to contend with — unlike in Delhi, where CM Arvind Kejriwal has frequently locked horns with L-G Anil Baijal.
Sajith Kumar refers to the hullaballoo around Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files, a Bollywood film about atrocities against Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, leading to their exodus three decades ago. Heavily promoted by the BJP, with several states offering tax exemptions — the movie has become a much-discussed, politically divisive box-office hit.
Manjul also comments on the political use of The Kashmir Files, depicting it as the latest tool politicians are using to exploit voters after corruption, caste politics and religious polarisation.