New Delhi: Last weekend’s G20 summit in New Delhi remained the focus of the Urdu press coverage this week, with editorials in all three major newspapers — Inquilab, Siasat and Roznama Rashtriya Sahara — hailing the Narendra Modi government for having organised a “successful” event.
All three newspapers had words of praise for the Modi government for not only pulling off a massive event, but also ensuring that a balance was struck between demands of world leaders and India’s own interests.
In its editorial on 11 September — a day after the two-day summit ended — Sahara praised the Modi government for its bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit. India, it said, gained a lot from the experience and significantly, “no controversy arose on any international issue and there was no impact on the country’s foreign policy”.
“Particularly in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India has beautifully maintained its relations with Russia and kept its word to the West. India gained a lot from the G20 summit and bilateral meetings, the impact of which will be visible in the future,” the editorial said.
Among other news, the trail of devastation left behind in Libya by Storm Daniel, the Modi government’s proposal for simultaneous elections in India and activities in the Opposition’s INDIA camp, took up significant space on the front pages and editorials of the Urdu press.
ThePrint brings a roundup of what made it to the front pages and editorials of Urdu newspapers.
Also Read: BJP’s ‘flustered’ by Oppn’s INDIA alliance — Urdu press weighs in on ‘India vs Bharat’ row
G20 and its ‘achievements’
Newspapers focused on the major takeaways from the G20 meeting — the Delhi Declaration, African Union joining the G20, and India’s growing relationship with Saudi Arabia.
They also covered the US-backed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor that was announced on the sidelines of the New Delhi G20 summit and the agreements signed by India and Saudi Arabia during Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s India visit. Prince Salman and PM Modi chaired the first leaders’ summit of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council Monday, a day after the G20 summit ended.
In its editorial on 10 September, Sahara called the consensus achieved at the G20 summit — which led to the Delhi Declaration — a “major achievement”, especially given the conflicting geopolitical ties and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Siasat’s editorial that day said that the bilateral agreements signed during the summit “reflect the importance of India in global affairs”.
“It will also help in stabilising the Indian economy and provide an opportunity to introduce other countries and their investors to other opportunities,” it said.
In an article titled ‘What has been achieved from G20 Conference’ on its front page on 12 September, Inquilab said that one of its major successes was that it taught the world what ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam — One Earth. One Family. One Future’ meant.
It added, however, domestically, India is “divided at every level”. All of this is happening under the Modi regime, the article said.
Given these circumstances, “will the world understand this message,” the editorial asked. “Isn’t the same contradiction between words and actions visible here too?”
In its editorial the next day, Inquilab questioned the “exorbitant” costs involved in organising the G20 summit.
According to media reports, the summit cost the exchequer Rs 4,100 crore.
The ruling party will present the G20 summit as a “historical achievement”. And although “we’re happy with the success of G20”, it is also significant to ask “why, when other countries like Indonesia, Germany and Argentina have hosted the G20 at a lower cost, has India spent more”, the editorial said.
Also Read: ‘Flag flying high’ — Urdu press hail Chandrayaan-3 for ‘going where no one else has’
Assembly polls and ‘One Nation, One Election’
On 11 September, Siasat’s editorial commented on the 8 September results of the by-elections held in seven assembly seats across six states in the country this month. While BJP won three of these seven seats, the Opposition’s INDIA bloc won the rest.
The Siasat editorial said if the upcoming elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram went the same way and if the BJP faced defeat in any of these states, it would come as a major boost for the anti-BJP INDIA alliance. The editorial added that it was because of the excitement around the G20 event in Delhi that results of the bypolls were not “as publicised as they would have been otherwise”.
In its 13 September editorial, Siasat commented on the Modi government’s push for simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the country. The Opposition sees the proposal, ‘One Nation, One Election’, as an “attack” on India’s democratic setup, it said.
Siasat’s editorial called the Modi government’s proposal a way to counter its “waning popularity graph”. There are concerns in BJP circles not only about its own popularity but also that of Prime Minister Modi, it added.
It’s for this reason that ‘One Nation, One Election’ has been brought before the public so close to elections. “It could be said that the intentions of the party are not positive,” the editorial said. “The way the BJP is planning to capitalise on this and win the elections is worth giving a thought about.”
Calling the Modi government’s proposal shosha (show), Sahara’s editorial the same day said that the party’s “credibility is also at stake”. This is because there were voices being raised against the proposal not only among political parties but also among other sections of Indian society.
“Some people even feel that the BJP is trying to postpone the assembly elections later this year through ‘One Nation, One Rule’ so that they can establish their rule indirectly under the guise of President’s rule,” the editorial said.
9/11 and Libya flood
The devastating flash floods in Libya caused by Storm Daniel — which made landfall on Libya’s east coast Sunday — also made front page headlines in Urdu newspapers. According to media reports, over 10,000 people are currently missing in the eastern Libyan city of Derna.
Newspaper editorials were also dedicated to the anniversary of 9/11 terror attacks in the US.
The September 11 attacks were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the US in 2001. The attacks killed over 3,000 people and are believed to have irrevocably changed the global war on terror.
On 12 September, Sahara wrote an editorial on what changed after the attacks. After that day, the Chinese government began referring to the Uyghur Muslims — thus far referred to as separatists — as “terrorists”.
Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Chinese province of Xinjiang. The Chinese government has repeatedly faced allegations of gross human rights violations, including sending them to internment camps, against the ethnic group.
In its editorial, Sahara said that in 2008, China had repeatedly “expressed fears” of possible Uyghur attacks on the Beijing Olympics to “instigate more people” but the world paid it no attention because “they were not credible”. But the editorial was also critical of how Islamic countries treated terrorism, saying they did not have a transparent policy on it.
INDIA bloc
The activities of the INDIA bloc also got significant attention.
On 12 September, Siasat wrote an editorial on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s claim that a “Godhra-like” attack was possible during the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
At a rally in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon, former chief minister Thackeray had reportedly said: “It is a possibility that the government could invite a large number of people for the Ram Temple inauguration in buses and trucks, and on their return journey, an incident similar to that in Godhra may occur”.
The Siasat editorial called for investigation into the allegations, especially since elections are drawing near. The BJP, it said, often resorts to polarising to get a political advantage.
“Efforts are being made to influence the atmosphere of communal harmony in the country. Hatred is spread in society but the BJP denies it has anything to do with this,” the editorial said. “If there is truth in Uddhav’s allegations, it should be investigated.”
On 15 September, Siasat’s editorial praised the INDIA alliance’s decision to boycott 14 television anchors — among them Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, Bharat24’s Rubika Liyaquat, India Today-Aaj Tak’s Sudhir Chaudhury and Times Network Group Editor Navika Kumar.
“There is a general opinion across the country that some anchors play the role of being the spokesperson of the (Modi) government and the BJP more seriously than that of journalists,” the editorial said. “Instead of posing questions to the government, they try to belittle the Opposition, and impose a certain idea and a certain agenda to influence and tarnish the image of Opposition leaders.”
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
Also Read: Urdu press condemns Muzaffarnagar slapping incident — ‘school mein nafrat ka bazar’