The Soren stain

Training its guns on the Congress leadership, the editorial notes that 8220;the Congress has never been, thankfully, too boastful of taking a moral high ground. Only that under Sonia Gandhi, it has made grand standing a substitute for cohesive policy initiatives.8221; But the sharpest criticism is reserved for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 8220;Dr Singh,8221; it says, 8220;cannot escape the opprobrium of cravenly presiding over the most controversial team of ministers since Independence. Perhaps, he has no choice, as he is the selected not the elected Prime Minister of India.8221;

And Sidhu8217;s wisdom

Though BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu has also been convicted of culpable homicide, his case finds no mention in this issue of the Organiser. Instead, his words of wisdom 8212; complete with photograph 8212; at the national sports meet organised by RSS-affiliate, Vidya Bharati, get an honourable mention. According to a report on the meet, 8220;Stressing that healthy spirit resides in a healthy body, Shri Navjot Singh Sidhu applauded the views and ideology of Shri Guruji M.S.Golwalkar8221;. Sidhu is quoted as saying, 8220;If spirit is healthy, heart, mind and life are healthy. The all-round development of the children depends on their health.8221;

Politics over riot relief

A front-page report slams the UPA government8217;s decision to hike compensation to the riot victims of Gujarat to Rs seven lakhs 8212; the same amount given by the government to the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh carnage. The report records the protests by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as well as BJP leaders L.K. Advani and V.K. Malhotra against the move, which they describe as an instance of 8220;Congress vote-bank politics.8221;

The BJP8217;s main ire is that similar compensation is not being given to the Godhra train victims or victims of terrorist attacks in Akshardham temple and other places. The report points out that 8220;it is not incidental that Gujarat will witness elections next year and the Congress-led UPA combine is trying to corner Muslim votes in Gujarat.8221; The hike in compensation for the riot victims 8220;is nothing but a way of getting the votes of Muslims in the elections.8221;

The Sanjay Dutt verdict

Another report is equally critical of the TADA court8217;s decision to convict actor Sanjay Dutt under the Arms Act but acquit him of the charge of being a terrorist. Asserting that the decision would set a 8220;dangerous precedent8221;, the report says: 8220;Look at the consequences of the judgement. Abu Salem might also seek the same treatment from the courts for the same reasoning that goes for Sanjay Dutt.8221;

Elaborating, it says, 8220;If Sanjay Dutt sought and stored the arms and ammunition in his house meant for the serial blasts in Mumbai, which killed over 400 people, Abu Salem has just been running errands for the D-company.8221;

The report says that the argument that Sanjay Dutt is a reformed person and worthy of pardon 8220;is a little far-fetched.8221; Not only was Sanjay Dutt involved in a 8220;heinous crime such as bomb blasts8221; but he was also in touch with the underworld 8220;even after the case was lodged, buying them gifts from abroad, as revealed in the telephone transcripts a few years ago8230;8221; On the celebrations in the Congress camp, it says, 8220;Probably, they have started to count the votes again from the Muslim community in the soon to follow elections in the state after coverage and encomiums in the press for Sanjay Dutt.8221;

Compiled by Manini Chatterjee