scorecardresearch
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeUrduScope'BJP trying to whip up hate before Gujarat polls' says Urdu press...

‘BJP trying to whip up hate before Gujarat polls’ says Urdu press on Bilkis convicts release row

ThePrint’s round-up of how the Urdu media covered various news events through the week, and the editorial positions some of them took.

Follow Us :
Text Size:

New Delhi: The Bilkis Bano case once again became the focus of Urdu papers this week as the Supreme Court criticised the Gujarat government’s response to a petition challenging the remission granted to the 11 convicts.

On 18 October, the Supreme Court called the Gujarat government’s response to the premature release of 11 people convicted in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gangrape case “bulky”. The court also said that the response lacked “application of mind”. 

This came after the Gujarat government told the court that the Union government had approved the release of the 11 convicts.

An editorial that was published in Siasat a day later accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — the party ruling both the central and the Gujarat governments — of creatingcommunal fault lines” to win the upcoming assembly elections in the state. 

Among the other issues that got prominent coverage in Urdu papers this week were the appointment of a new Congress president, court proceedings in a case on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, the state of India’s economy, and the twists and turns of the Delhi excise ‘scam’.

ThePrint brings you a snapshot of all the news that the Urdu press covered this week.


Also Read: ‘Did Gujarat govt think of Bilkis’s security?’ — Urdu press spotlight remains on rapists’ release


Bilkis Bano

The developments of the Bilkis Bano case in the Supreme Court were keenly followed by the Urdu press. On its front page on 19 October, Inquilab said that the convicts’ release came despite objections from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In an inset, the paper carried a statement from Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi saying “nothing wrong had taken place”. 

“The release happened as per the law,” Joshi said. The minister was defending the Gujarat government’s decision to release the 11 convicts.

On its front page the same day, Siasat reported the Congress’s allegation that the 11 men had been released as it was “politically expedient” for the ruling party. In its report on the Supreme Court’s proceedings, the newspaper said that the Gujarat government’s response to the petition challenging the convicts’ remission was “shallow”.

Roznama Rashtriya Sahara also carried a similar report on its front page, which said that the court was unhappy with the response and that it had scheduled the next hearing on 29 November.  

On its front page on 20 October, Inquilab reported that even before their final release in August, the convicts had each spent 1,000 days out of prison. 

In a 19 October editorial, Siasat said it was common knowledge that the BJP tries to “extract political and electoral mileage out of every issue” and that the perception that it was the purpose of the early release “gains credence”. 

The piece further said that with elections drawing close in Gujarat, the BJP wants to create “communal fault lines”.  

The BJP has been ruling Gujarat since 1995.    

A 21 October editorial titled ‘Wrong decision wrong perspective’ in Inquilab said that are many questions in the case and “just silence in the name of replies”. 

Given that the arguments are still ongoing in the apex court, there’s still hope that the court would ask the Gujarat government to reverse its decision, the editorial said. 

Kharge, the new Congress president 

After a gap of three years, Congress finally has a full-time president in Mallikarjun Kharge and the issue kept Urdu papers buzzing.  

On 18 October, Inquilab carried a photo of the outgoing Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, casting her ballot the previous day. A report alongside said that the fates of the two candidates, Kharge and his opponent, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, were now sealed in the ballot boxes.   

The same day, Siasat’s front page had a photo of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi casting his vote at a campsite in Karnataka’s Bellary district on what was a rest day for the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. A report carried alongside said 96 per cent votes had been cast. 

Sahara, meanwhile, carried photos of other senior leaders such as Jairam Ramesh, Ashok Gehlot, and D.K. Shivakumar casting their votes.

On 20 October, all three papers carried news of Kharge’s election on the front page along with his photo — with Inquilab and Sahara taking the report as that day’s lead story. 

In its inset, Sahara carried former president Rahul Gandhi’s statement that the new president would decide on his role in the party.

On its front page, Siasat also carried a report of Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi’s congratulatory visit to Kharge’s residence soon after the results were declared.

On its front page on 21 October, Inquilab reported that Congress had been critical of Tharoor, who was Kharge’s challenger in what was only the sixth election to the post of Congress president, for his charge that there were irregularities in voting. 

In an editorial on 20 October, Siasat said that now that Kharge’s been elected, he has the onerous task of reconnecting the Congress with the people. The editorial further said that while programmes such as the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ could help build that connection, there’s much more that needs to be done in the days to come. 

Meanwhile, through all the noise of the election and even in its aftermath, the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ continued to make front page news. 

On 19 October, Siasat reported that Rahul Gandhi, while answering questions from Congress workers, had said that he had no blisters on his feet despite having walked 1,000 km in 40 days because he was always conscious of his fitness. He also said he doesn’t use sunscreen, the paper, which carried the story alongside a photo of Rahul interacting with party leaders, reported. 


Also Read: Congress top rung’s ‘sagacity’ fixed Rajasthan mess, says Urdu press as Bharat Jodo remains focus


Manish Sisodia and ‘excise scam’

On 17 October, Siasat reported on its front page that Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was due to appear before the CBI in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.

The next day, Inquilab reported on its front page that as CBI questioned Sisodia, workers from his Aam Aadmi Party had taken to the streets in protest. Photos carried alongside the story showed the protesters being dragged away by the police. 

Meanwhile, the paper also carried Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s allegation that there were plans to have Sisodia arrested so he wouldn’t go to Gujarat to campaign for the assembly elections. 

On Nirmala Sitharaman and India’s economy

Urdu papers also carried reports about the state of India’s economy, while editorials criticised Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement on the dollar strengthening. 

On its front page on 17 October, Inquilab carried Sitharaman’s statement that the “rupee is not weakening” but that “the dollar is getting stronger”.

In its editorial on 18 October, Sahara wrote that in her place, Sitharaman was right. As an example, the editorial cited Turkey, where an ongoing economic and debt crisis has caused the lira to plummet.

The editorial said that while the falling rupee is a matter of concern, what’s even more worrisome is that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war will only worsen it. 

In its editorial on 21 October, Siasat wrote that unemployment rates continued to remain high in the country and the eight years of the Modi government have seen more job cuts than job creation.  

Many government departments are virtually closed, the editorial said, and government recruitments have been abolished.  

On Uniform Civil Code

On 19 October, Inquilab reported on its front page that the Union government has opposed a petition seeking the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code. In response to a petition filed by BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, the Centre has said that the petition is not maintainable and should therefore be rejected. 

(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)


Also Read: ‘Hijab is a fundamental right’: Urdu press praises Justice Dhulia’s opinion in split judgment


 

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular