New Delhi: The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the alleged Delhi excise scam continued to dominate the headlines in the Urdu press this week. Editorials in two prominent Urdu newspapers — Siasat and Roznama Rashtriya Sahara — claimed that the action was spurred by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) fear of the electoral damage that AAP could cause.
In an editorial on 23 March, Sahara said that activist-turned-politician Kejriwal had fought the BJP not only in Delhi but also in Goa and Gujarat, and had emerged as a strong opposition voice. So it became expedient to remove him from the political arena, it said.
“His arrest is evidence that the BJP (and the National Democratic Alliance), now claiming it will cross 400 seats, is upset,” the editorial said.
Another reason, according to it, was AAP’s alliance with the Congress during the elections. “Initially, the Opposition was prevented from uniting, (and) threats were made to arrest Trinamool Congress Supreme Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee in West Bengal. Other regional parties also showed similar fear (of consequences for allying with the Congress) and no compromise could be reached on seat-sharing,” it said, adding that under such circumstances, “impartial elections cannot be expected”.
While the goings-on in various political parties ahead of elections continued to get prominent coverage, some editorials also worried about the shrinking space for India’s minorities — particularly Muslims — in public discourse.
Here’s a wrap of all the news that made it to the front pages and editorials of the Urdu press this week.
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Kejriwal’s arrest
Kejriwal’s arrest and subsequent protests by his party dominated the Urdu press this week.
In its editorial on 23 March, Siasat, like Sahara, believed that the arrest was because the Delhi CM and his AAP were causing trouble for the BJP in Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana.
“Arvind Kejriwal is a popular leader at the grassroots level. He also has a good public image. The BJP was worried that when Arvind Kejriwal goes to the people with the Congress, he will bring down the BJP’s seat count,” the editorial said, adding that the BJP “wants no competition to remain”.
Parliamentary polls
Political developments in various camps kept the Urdu press abuzz this week.
In an editorial on 29 March, Sahara said that the current dispensation continues to push the narrative that minorities are dangerous, the truth is even after 75 years of independence, they remain second-class citizens.
“Shouldn’t it be understood in this context that minorities — Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, etc. — must have access to their constitutional rights, should have control over their educational institutions, employment, and education?” the editorial asks. “How can there be discrimination by calling someone a minority?”
Also speaking about minorities, Sahara’s 25 March editorial urges political parties to prioritise giving tickets to Muslims — India’s second largest religious group after Hindus. Parties should devise strategies to support Muslim candidates and work towards creating equal opportunities for all sections of society, this editorial said, adding that non-Muslim voters should also be encouraged to support Muslim candidates “for a truly fair electoral process”.
Siasat dedicated its 26 March editorial to the struggles of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which is still reeling from the electoral drubbing it received in the assembly polls last November.
Sahara’s editorial on 28 March, meanwhile, accused the ruling BJP of using the state machinery to target Opposition parties. This came in the context of the Congress party’s allegation last month that its bank accounts had been frozen by the income tax authorities.
The editorial, titled ‘Conspiracy to halt Opposition’s path’, said that while Congress’s accounts had been frozen, preventing it from getting donations, the BJP plans to spend billions on campaigning, thus hindering fair, transparent, and impartial election processes.
“The Election Commission of India must intervene to ensure equal opportunities for all political parties, or the elections risk becoming a spectacle rather than a democratic process,” it said.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)