‘Opportunity to ensure accountability’ — Urdu press hails SC’s move to strike down electoral bonds

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

Illustration: Prajna Ghosh | ThePrint

New Delhi: The Urdu press has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Modi government’s Electoral Bond Scheme as unconstitutional, with editorials seeing it as  “an opportunity to ensure accountability”. 

Calling on political parties to be transparent in their financial dealings, an editorial in Siasat editorial stated Friday that concealing donor identities raises questions and doubts.

“With the Supreme Court’s decision, donations made over the past five years will now be disclosed to the public, enabling them to form their opinions,” it read.

Among other important news, the ongoing farmers’ protest for a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price also got significant coverage, with editorials castigating the use of state force on peaceful protests. Other news that got coverage were this week’s trust vote in the Bihar assembly and Pakistan’s elections. 

Here’s a roundup of all the news that made front-page headlines and editorials in the Urdu press this week. 

Electoral bond

All three prominent Urdu newspapers — the Siasat, Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, and Inquilab — hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Electoral Bond Scheme. 

A five-judge Constitution bench comprising CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, and Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, J.B. Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra ruled that the scheme — introduced by the Modi-led National Democratic Alliance — violated the right to information under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

A 16 February editorial in Sahara stated that the central government’s argument that the scheme is aimed at bringing about transparency, was futile. What we are witnessing now is an era of politics where digital technology is being used for surveillance, the editorial further stated. 

“No one knows when, where, and whose mobile or computer will be monitored. A microchip can track a person’s bank account, identification, preferences, activities, and (even) political and social inclinations in a matter of seconds. Therefore, it’s not difficult to ascertain who purchased electoral bonds from which branch of the State Bank of India, and which party has encashed them,” the editorial read.

Farmers’ protest

The ongoing farmers’ protest has been the reigning topic in the Urdu press, with editorials criticising the use of police force at Shambhu on the Punjab-Haryana border. On 15 February, Sahara’s editorial stated that the use of force demonstrates how this “capitalistic” dispensation is unwilling to do much for farmers and labourers. This came a day after another one of its editorials criticised the government for not seriously considering the farmers’ demands. 

“It makes various claims about being concerned about the welfare of the farmers, but it seems that all of this is just a show, and the government is not actually prepared to enact the law that the farmers are demanding,” this editorial on 14 February said. “Instead of reassuring the farmers and gaining their trust through dialogue, the government is resorting to using tear gas and water cannons. This isn’t the solution to the problem.”

On 13 February, Siasat carried a report on its front page titled ‘Kya Modi ke guroor ka phir sir hoga neecha?’ (Will Modi’s pride be broken yet again?). In this article, the newspaper covered the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march and reported how police had heightened security around the national capital and how prohibitory orders had been imposed in the city. 

Bihar politics 

The trust vote in the Bihar assembly and the removal of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Awadh Bihari Choudhary from the Speaker’s position also got prominent coverage this week. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who last month switched his allegiance back to the BJP-led NDA, won the trust vote amid an Opposition walkout.  

In its editorial on 13 February, Siasat said that despite the recent political developments and the BJP’s claims of winning 370 of the country’s 543 parliamentary seats, the party could face setbacks in key states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In UP, which has 80 seats — the highest number of any state — the party could lose 20-35 seats as opposed to the 62 that it had won in the 2019 general election. Likewise, in Bihar, the BJP could secure 15-20 seats, it said. 

“The BJP is actively recruiting leaders from Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena,” the editorial said. “(Lok Janshakti Party chief) Chirag Paswan’s situation in Bihar is uncertain after his uncle (Pashupati Kumar Paras) allied with the BJP and became a Union minister. (Opposition) efforts are underway to unite parties like the RJD, Congress, and the Communist outfits in Bihar to counter the BJP’s potential gains,” it said. 

CAA 

Following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement that its controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would be implemented later this year, Sahara’s 12 February editorial harked back to the nationwide protests against the law in 2019.

Passed by Parliament in December that year, the CAA seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians, Buddhists, and Jains from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India before 31 December, 2014, without any document. Although notified in 2020, the law could not be implemented that year because the rules governing it were not framed then.

Sahara’s editorial posed the question of why the law was being prioritised now, especially given its controversial history and delayed implementation. 

Meanwhile, Siasat’s 15 February editorial questioned the decision of Rajasthan’s BJP government to make Surya Namaskar — the sun salutation in yoga — compulsory in schools. The editorial drew parallels between this move and Karnataka’s 2022 hijab ban, saying that this move too was aimed at targeting Muslims. 

“Such mandates infringe on religious rights and are an attempt to promote Hindu ideology in educational institutions,” it said, adding that they were “unacceptable and violate the rights of Muslims”.

Pakistan election

Editorials also commented on the political situation in Pakistan in the aftermath of the National Assembly election held earlier this month. The election threw up a hung house and following days of uncertainty, former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif is reportedly set to return as prime minister.   

In its editorial on 12 February, Siasat warned that, given the situation, the country will soon begin to see horse trading. This editorial came days before Shehbaz, brother of Pakistan’s three-time PM Nawaz Sharif, was declared PM-elect.   

“The situation is uncertain, signaling the beginning of a corrupt era. The process of buying and selling of National Assembly members will start, and the one who bids the most will win,” it said. “Moreover, support for Nawaz Sharif from the Pakistani military is becoming evident. It could be said that public opinion has once again been enslaved in Pakistan, and, no matter which government comes to power, calling it elected and representative may not be entirely accurate.”

Similarly, Sahara’s 11 February editorial also commented on the influence of Pakistan’s powerful military on the election. “Despite having an Election Commission’s official role, it’s widely known to be under the influence of the establishment,” the editorial said, adding: “Like Bangladesh, Pakistan’s democracy struggles due to a consistent failure to prioritise civilian authority over military power.”

(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)