New Delhi: Hectic campaigning in Karnataka for the coming assembly elections and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s efforts at opposition unity grabbed front page space in Urdu newspapers this week. As did the Union government’s ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate Indians stranded in Sudan amid the conflict between the African country’s army and paramilitary forces.
News of prominent wrestlers returning to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to protest against former head of the Wrestling Federation of India and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual assault also got widespread coverage.
The editorials in all three prominent Urdu newspapers — Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, Inquilab, and Siasat — focussed on the Karnataka elections, the politics of opposition unity and the wrestlers’ protest.
ThePrint brings you a roundup of all that made headlines in the Urdu press this week.
Karnataka assembly elections
On 24 April, Sahara reported on its front page that Rahul Gandhi had arrived in Bagalkot district on a two-day visit to campaign for the 10 May Karnataka elections. The newspaper reported on his “grand roadshow” and how Gandhi was constantly waving to the crowds from his vehicle as they chanted his name.
On the same day, Sahara, in a separate report on its front page, carried former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s controversial statement on the BJP’s call for a Lingayat CM in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah had, while speaking to the press, said that incumbent CM Basavaraj Bommai was also a Lingayat and was steeped in corruption, a claim BJP said was an insult to the Lingayat community.
Meanwhile, a Siasat editorial claimed that people were angry with the BJP government (in Karnataka) as it tried to politicise hijab, halal meat and other issues but did not pay any attention to issues such as corruption, unemployment and inflation. It further claimed that the party’s strategy of targeting Tipu Sultan was adopted to push forward its Hindutva agenda, but this also did not help it curry favour with the public ahead of elections.
The next day, Inquilab published an editorial called ‘How strong is the Congress in Karnataka’. The piece listed several reasons for the party growing stronger in the state. It said the party is hungry for a win. After 1985, the electorate has always voted to change the government, so the BJP is likely to be voted out this time, it said.
The “40 per cent government” allegation has permeated the public, it said, damaging the reputation of the BJP. It added that the BJP had used “tactics” such as the hijab controversy, and Muslim shopkeepers’ boycott, but these are not showing any significant effect in Karnataka. It said the unrest within the BJP was also evident in many senior leaders leaving the party.
On 26 April, Sahara wrote about Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visiting the state for the first time ahead of the assembly elections to be held on 10 May. Inaugurating the election campaign for party candidates from Mysuru, Priyanka reiterated the 40 per cent commission government allegation, accusing the BJP government of looting Karnataka.
On April 26, Inquilab and Siasat published on their front pages the news of the Supreme Court adjourning till 9 May the hearing on a petition against Karnataka government’s decision to end four per cent reservation for Muslims.
On 27 April, Sahara reported that senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh condemned Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that there would be communal riots if the Congress came to power in the state. The newspaper also put on its front page the news of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra making dosa in Mysore.
A 27 April Siasat editorial claimed that the BJP was making every effort to mislead the election campaign on the basis of religion and caste. The party, the piece added, tried to politicise the problem of 4 per cent Muslim quota, but wasn’t quite successful. While the Congress wants to limit the election campaign to local and regional issues, the BJP has no achievement to flaunt, it said. As usual, the BJP is trying to seek votes only in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name, the editorial added.
The next day, Urdu newspapers gave front page space to Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, Dr G. Parameshwara and Congress Karnataka state president D.K. Shivakumar filing a complaint against Amit Shah in Bengaluru for “making inflammatory statements, promoting enmity and hatred and defaming the Opposition”.
On 28 April, Siasat reported Rahul Gandhi’s election campaign in Kapu, Udupi, Karnataka, and the poll promises he made.
Wrestlers’ protest
Throughout the week, Inquilab prominently published the news of wrestlers resuming their protest after three months at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, president of the Wrestling Federation of India.
In a 26 April editorial, Sahara it termed the attitude of the Delhi Police in filing an FIR against Singh as “surprising”. It said that the Delhi Police, which has a record of filing FIRs against the Opposition even on trivial charges, says that it wants to examine the allegations before registering an FIR.
The Delhi Police also rejected the Delhi Commission for Women’s direction in the case, asking it to register an FIR immediately, it pointed out.
Opposition unity
On 24 April, Sahara reported on the front page that Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that the Eknath Shinde government in the state will fall in 15-20 days.
The next day, it prominently published on the front page the news of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav reaching West Bengal and meeting the state CM Mamata Banerjee there.
On 25 April itself, Siasat published on the front page the news of Nitish and Tejashwi meeting Mamata as well as Akhilesh Yadav. In another story on its front page, the newspaper published Nitish’s statement that he wanted to save the public from the BJP.
On 26 April, a Siasat editorial stated if all opposition parties united according to Nitish Kumar’s formula, it would be an achievement. However, for that to happen, it was necessary that the parties developed a strategy instead of merely agreeing on mutual alliances and seats.
On 27 April, Inquilab wrote an editorial on how Nitish was trying to unite the Opposition. It is believed, the piece stated, that major changes in the country start from the state of Bihar. So if some big changes happen later in the year, believe that they already started in spring, it added.
Operation Kaveri & Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh
On 25 April, Inquilab reported on the Union government’s ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate Indians stranded in Sudan.
On 27 April, Urdu newspapers published the news of the first batch of 360 Indians reaching Delhi under ‘Operation Kaveri’ on their front pages.
The same day, Sahara, Inquilab and Siasat published on the front pages the deaths of 10 soldiers in an alleged Maoist attack in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. Describing it as a ‘major attack’, the Sahara wrote that the vehicle driver was also killed.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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