Presidential drama

The presidential election has turned into an exciting battle of nerves between competing coalitions. Rashtriya Sahara, in an editorial dated June 18...

The presidential election has turned into an exciting battle of nerves between competing coalitions. Rashtriya Sahara, in an editorial dated June 18, welcomes the prospect of a woman occupying the highest office in the land. It says, 8220;even if there is some weight in the BJP view that it is alaamati, a token Pratibha Patil8217;s election as president would send positive signals to women not only in India, but in the world.8221; The paper says her real test would be only after assuming office and taking independent decisions. With the Third Front considering Kalam as a possibility, Delhi8217;s Hindustan Express, June 20, describes the front as 8220;toote nawab8221; princes without any power.

All assessments made by most newspapers about Kalam8217;s responses to the Third Front meeting have been proved wrong. The papers had taken it as a foregone conclusion that Kalam would not take the offer. Hyderabad8217;s Rahnuma-e-Deccan on June 9 came out favouring Kalam 8212; 8220;the people through opinion polls have made it clear that they want Kalam as president again, even if political parties may not want that. Kalam has also behaved in a manner that behoves the high office.8221; National Herald8217;s Qaumi Awaz on June 20 has called the pro-Kalam activism 8216;Kalam ke saath shikast-furda leaderon ka bhonda mazaak8217; a bad joke on Kalam by defeated leaders. It says 8220;from Atal ji downwards, all are intent on displaying their backwardness and narrow-mindedness against a woman in an organised manner.8221; Delhi8217;s Jadid Khabar, June 16, has described the UPA nominee as 8220;Rashtrapati Bhawan ki Pratibha, and a revolution in itself.8221;

Before Pratibha Patil8217;s clarification on the veil controversy, several papers, like Akhbar-e-Mashriq, Rashtriya Sahara, Hindustan Express came out strongly against her statement on the veil being an invention to protect Hindu women against the Mughals.

On Bhagalpur

The Bhagalpur convictions have evoked strong comment. Rashtriya Sahara on June 21 wrote 8220;it is said that justice delayed is justice denied for the victims. But, although late, the court8217;s convicting the 14 killers will demoralise the criminals and the affected people will get confident about the justice system.8221; Akhbar-e-Mashriq, June 20, wrote 8220;now that the truth of Bhagalpur has come out, it is the duty

of the Nitish

Kumar government in Bihar to get closed cases re-opened and decided via fast track courts.8221; Hindustan Express has an editorial on June 20 entitled 8216;17 years later8230;8217; It talked about 8220;fears of some victims that they would be acquitted by a higher court8221; because the prosecution8217;s case was weak.

Israel and Palestine

Hyderabad daily Etamaad the mouthpiece of the Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslemeen 8212; MIM in an editorial dated June 14, said that 8220;differences between the two ruling groups in Palestine have practically transformed into a civil war. The frightening situation today has given a shock to the efforts towards peacemaking, and the situation may not stabilise for many years.8221; It says that there is 8220;absence of any towering figure in Palestine who can bell the cat and get an agreement in place.8221; Qaumi Awaz in an editorial dated June 19 said 8220;Philistini cause ko ghairon se nahin, apno se khatra hai.8221; It writes that even sympathisers of the Palestinian cause cannot claim that an independent and autonomous Palestinian state would come into being in the near future.

P.S.: Mumbai8217;s Inquilab, June 10, has reported on a village in Katihar, Bihar, that has set up a small training school where children are trained in petty theft, pick-pocketing and looting passengers. The paper says that parents are actually pulling out their children from schools and sending them there.

Compiled by Seema Chishti