T20 delights

Rashtriya Sahara, on September 26, in an editorial writes, 8220;Enthusiasts will find it difficult to forget this match.8221; Delhi, Lucknow, Dehradun and Mumbai-based Daily Sahafat, on September 5, has carried a photograph of Irfan Pathan, the man of the match. Hindustan Express, on September 26, in an editorial writes, 8220;it was natural for every Indian to be extremely delighted about this historic victory.8221; But the paper also mentions tense moments in Bangalore and Hardwar, where certain elements 8220;who should be condemned8221; tainted the victory by giving it a provocative and communal colour.

However, the editorial chooses to remain silent on Pakistani captain Shoaib Malik8217;s controversial 8220;apology to the Muslims of the world8221; for losing the T20 final. In a page one column, the paper criticises Gujarat and its CM Narendra Modi for 8220;not honouring Irfan Pathan, the man of the match8221;.

Setu talk

Urdu papers have commented extensively on aspects of the Ram Setu controversy. Rashtriya Sahara, in an editorial on September 22, discusses Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi8217;s statement, that Nehru called the Ramayana 8220;a story to establish the supremacy of Aryans over Dravidians.8221; The paper argues, 8220;as it is a matter of faith for millions of Indians, whether Ram built it or not must not be debated. What is worth considering is that nobody can be given the right to hurt the religious beliefs of people. All efforts to politicise the issue are condemnable too.8221; National Herald8217;s Qaumi Awaaz, on September 17, writes, 8220;calling the faith a devmala myth, a government department has murdered the religious sentiments of crores of Hindus, whereas the Allahabad High Court judge has attacked the Constitution and secular society of the country by asserting that Bhagwad Gita should be declared a national dharmashastra.8221; Kolkata and Delhi-based Akhbar-e-Mashriq in an editorial on September 22 writes, 8220;it8217;s a historical fact that Ram is worshipped in north India, whereas in south India, Ravana is looked up with reverence. In this context, Advani8217;s demand for an apology from Karunanidhi amounts to waging a war between the north and the south of the country.8221; Jamaat-e-Islami8217;s mouthpiece, the bi-weekly Daawat, has condemned the fact of 8220;other faiths8221; being also talked about in this context. On September 28, in a page one lead comment, 8220;when it became awkward for the BJP to answer questions raised by Karunanidhi and his party, as per their habit, they invoked Muslims and Christians zabardasti in this controversy, trying to give the circumstances a different colour so that the ongoing debate can be deflected.8221; But, it says, the controversy is only about Ram, and other religions should not be dragged into such sensitive matters.

Campus violence

Akhbar-e-Mashriq, in an editorial on September 19, differs from the majority of Urdu papers on the question of campus violence. While most Urdu papers have seen a 8220;conspiracy8221; against AMU in recent violent incidents, this paper has questioned the validity of knee-jerk actions taken after the murder and ransacking of the VC8217;s house. It asserts, 8220;the murder of Mazhar Naim was not connected with any group clash. But some unknown person or group had murdered him, therefore it was not difficult for the VC to have resolved this by talks with agitated students.8221;

Party news

The AICC reshuffle and BJP national executive in Bhopal have invited comment. The Daily Sahafat, in its editorial on September 25, calls the BJP national executive meet, 8220;preparation for polls8221;. Hindustan Express, on page one on September 27, says that, 8220;Rahul8217;s entry is being celebrated throughout the country. But, now in AICC, the absence of shias has given rise to sorrow and anger in the country8217;s shia community.8221;