New Delhi: The government turns a “blind eye” towards the offences of its supporters while cracking down on any form of dissent, an editorial in Siasat said this week while commenting on the Supreme Court’s decision to ban Indian ayurveda conglomerate Patanjali from advertising its products until further orders.
In the editorial on 28 February — titled ‘Government turns a blind eye to offenders’ — Siasat criticised the Modi government for wilfully ignoring the misdeeds of companies like Patanjali while cracking down on dissenters, leading to “a mockery of democracy”. The editorial came on 27 February — a day after the SC ruling.
“The silence of government supporters, like Patanjali Ayurved, despite the Supreme Court’s reproaches, underscores the government’s selective enforcement of the law,” it says, calling for the SC’s attention on this too. “Perhaps it’s the government’s silence that has led the Supreme Court to reprimand both it and Patanjali,” it said.
Apart from the Patanjali ruling, the political crisis in Himachal Pradesh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and the goings-on in various political parties ahead of the upcoming general election gained wide coverage in all three Urdu newspapers — Siasat, Inquilab, and Roznama Rashtriya Sahara.
Here’s a roundup of all the news that made it to the front pages and editorials of the Urdu press this week.
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Himachal Pradesh and ‘Operation Lotus’
The political crisis in Himachal that came on the back of this week’s Rajya Sabha elections kept the Urdu press buzzing this week. The crisis was precipitated by the cross-voting of six Congress MLAs and three Independents who supported the ruling Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government and led to the defeat of the party’s candidate, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, in the state’s lone RS seat.
Although the Congress averted the crisis temporarily by managing to keep its flock together and getting its budget passed, the developments prompted Siasat to accuse the Bharatiya Janata Party of “engineering” defections under ‘Operation Lotus’.
‘Operation Lotus’ is a term the Opposition uses to describe the phenomenon of the BJP poaching MLAs from other parties to gain power.
The BJP, this editorial said on 29 February, has turned defection into a common practice, thus making a mockery of the country’s democracy and electoral processes.
“Either pressure is exerted on elected MLAs and MPs from a particular party, or they are harassed and forced to switch sides. In states where parties come to power through the people’s mandate, they are being deprived of power, and public opinion is insulted. The BJP is not willing to honour the people’s mandate and wants to govern every part of the country…This is a situation that has turned the electoral process in India into a joke,” it said.
In its editorial the same day, Inquilab said that the Congress may be safe for now, but the Sukhu government’s troubles are far from over.
“There are now speculations that the BJP might bring a no-confidence motion against the state government sooner or later,” it said.
General election
The upcoming general election and the preparation of various political parties also received significant coverage.
Siasat’s 27 February editorial was dedicated to the significance of Uttar Pradesh in national politics. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, sends 80 MPs to Parliament — the highest of any state in India.
The Siasat editorial highlighted how the party that wins most seats in the state often comes to power at the Centre and described the complexity of UP’s politics.
While regional parties like the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have historically dominated UP’s politics, the BJP has gained influence through sectarian tactics, the editorial said.
“There’s a perception that the BSP is indirectly aiding the BJP by diverting votes from other parties in key elections. These manoeuvres are seen as attempts to thwart the SP and the Congress,” Siasat said.
On the other hand, Inquilab’s editorial said that while it was commendable that the BJP has set a target of more than 370 seats for itself and more than 400 seats for the National Democratic Alliance, it would be prudent to investigate if it had these numbers.
Like a game of cricket, elections, too, can be unpredictable and change at any time, the editorial said.
“The prospects in south India are almost negligible while dissatisfaction prevails in northeast India with incidents like the Manipur violence,” it said. “Attempts to change equations in Maharashtra have also been damaging. Criticism of the ruling party in Madhya Pradesh has been severe and imagining how people would feel if the same party is once again in power isn’t hard.”
Meanwhile, the response to the Congress Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has been overwhelming, it said.
“Whenever elections are announced, it should strengthen democracy rather than weaken it. The role of the Election Commission of India is crucial in this regard,” it said.
The commission, the Inquilab editorial said, should “maintain its dignity and treat all political parties equally.”
“Taking action against any political party without evidence is not only harmful to that institution but also has serious implications for democracy,” it said.
Sahara’s editorial on 25 February commented on the seat-sharing arrangement between the Congress and the SP. According to this agreement, the SP will contest 63 of UP’s 80 seats while the Congress will take the remainder.
“There were reports of discontent within the Congress, particularly regarding the Farrukhabad seat, and the Samajwadi Party had to withdraw its candidate from Varanasi to accommodate the Congress’s preference,” it said.
Pregnant women in jail and hate speech
Other topics like the Calcutta High Court’s concerns about women prisoners getting pregnant while in West Bengal prisons and the issue of hate speech in light of the upcoming election were also covered in the Urdu press this week.
An editorial in Sahara on 1 March spoke about the growing number of pregnant women in Bengal jails. For this, the editorial cited a report filed in the Calcutta HC, which claimed 196 babies born to inmates of Bengal prisons were currently in various correctional homes in the state.
“This underscores systemic challenges within the prison system, with approximately 26,000 inmates in the state’s 60 jails, including vulnerable women. The findings emphasise the urgent need for reforms to ensure the safety and well-being of incarcerated individuals, particularly pregnant women, and their children,” the editorial said.
Sahara’s 29 February editorial about hate speech and communalism came in the light of the upcoming general election. In it, the newspaper highlighted the SC’s directive in October 2022 urging states to take immediate action against hate speech and communalism.
“The court had instructed governments to file FIRs promptly for such incidents. Despite this, incidents of hate speech are on the rise, with leaders across the political spectrum indulging in divisive rhetoric. In West Bengal, BJP leaders have been actively promoting hate, even resorting to derogatory remarks against individuals based on their identity,” the editorial said, referring to the developments in Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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