Uttar Pradesh elections

In a front page anchor story on November 9, Delhi-based daily, Hindustan Express has given the story of 8220;backbreaking8221; of the Samajwadi Party.

In a front page anchor story on November 9, Delhi-based daily, Hindustan Express has given the story of 8220;backbreaking8221; kamar tootne ka qissa of the Samajwadi Party SP. It writes that in the urban areas SP fared very badly and along with that, in rural areas, the independents inflicted 8220;severe wounds8221; on them. In an editorial on the same day, it says 8220;the Bahujan Samaj Party, in an organised manner transferred its votes to the Congress and the BJP8221;. It also says that in the nagar panchayat elections, SP has maintained its hold, 8220;which shows that in rural UP, the roots of SP are still intact.8221; The Jamaat-e-Islami mouthpiece , bi-weekly Daawat November 13 has reserved its judgement and says, 8220;only time will tell how many lessons are learnt by political forces from this civic elections.8221; The Arya Samaj Urdu mouthpiece, Pratap in its editorial on November 13 has welcomed 8220;BJP8217;s glorious return.8221; It says 8220;these elections have sounded off warning bells for the SP.8221;

Events in Iraq and the US

Announcement of the death sentence awarded to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has attracted banner headlines and full page spreads. Roznama Rashtriya Sahara on November 6, has a record ? 14 pictures of Saddam Hussein on its front page, with a signed editorial by Aziz Burney entitled Phansi ka Mustahaq Kaun? Saddam Hussein ya8230;? i.e. Who deserves to be hanged ? Saddam Hussein or8230;? The editorial goes on to quote a couplet saying that 8220;the murderer is the judge and he owns the court.8221; Kolkata and Delhi based daily Akhbar-e-Mashriq on November 7 has said Iraq will cease to be Iraq if Saddam is hanged. It says that Iraq 8220;would become hell and the US would be responsible for this.8221; National Herald8217;s Qaumi Awaz on November 9 writes 8220;if Saddam is hanged, the dead Saddam would become a hero, his sins would be forgotten and he will create tremendous disturbances like an Arab hero.8221; On US elections, Hindustan Express November 10 writes that Rumsfeld has been made a scapegoat qurbani ka bakra while Pratap compares it to the resignation of Nehru8217;s defence minister VK Krishna Menon after the war with China in 1962. Rashtriya Sahara November 12 has debated if there would be a change in US policy towards Iraq after these results.

PM and the Muslims

The Sachar Committee findings continue to be vigorously debated in the Urdu press, Mumbai daily Inquilab November 5 in a special detailed article asks why even before the formal tabling of the PM8217;s high-level Committee are 8220;communalists feelings uneasy?8221; It writes that 8220;opposing the Report is an anti-national activity8221;. On the PM8217;s statement on Minorities, most newspapers have carried lead headlines the next day November 3 8211; Qaumi Awaz says; 8220;PM concerned about under-representation of Minorities in jobs.8221; Akhbar-e-Mashriq quotes the PM as saying that; 8220;Minorities should get their proper share in the central and state governments as well as the private sector.8221;

Veil and the Imam

The Lucknow, Delhi and Mumbai-based weekly tabloid Jadeed Markaz has also reacted to the statements made by actor Shabana Azmi on the burqa. It writes in its November 5-11 issue, saying that 8220;the Imam of the Jama Masjid Ahmed Bukhari who has defamed Muslims by calling Shabana Azmi a dancing and singing woman, is neither a scholar nor a Muslim leader8221;.

8212;Compiled by Seema Chishti