Opinion All about Jinnah?

The sequel to the release of BJP leader Jaswant Singh’s book,Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence,has given rise to sharp reactions in the Urdu Press. Jamaat-e-Islami’s official bi-weekly Daawat,in its front-page editorial comment (August 25),writes: “It is a very simplistic and unintelligent criticism by the BJP and its parivar that the party is opposing a research work and freedom of expression of one’s views,or that Sardar Patel was not a Sabhai or a Sanghi; he was a Congressman and he had imposed a ban on RSS in the capacity of home minister of the Congress government following the murder of Mahatma Gandhi: then,why does the BJP treat him as its hero while it considers Nehru and the Congress as its enemy? In fact it is not a question of the Congress or the BJP. What is pertinent is the mindset,the mindset that had created the conditions for Partition and had alienated a patriotic person like Mohammad Ali Jinnah from the fight for freedom by its acts of injustice,breach of promise,falsehood and cunningness.”

Kolkata and Delhi-based Akhbar-e-Mashriq has,in its editorial (August 23),expressed bewilderment at the fact that “Jaswant Singh has been found liable to be beheaded (qaabil-e-gardan zadani),but when L.K. Advani had said the same thing he had been pardoned.” The daily Sahafat,published from Delhi,Lucknow,Dehradun and Mumbai,in its editorial (August 22) entitled,‘Vinash kaaley,vipreet buddhi’,has used this famous Sanskit phrase (meaning,when times are bad,you lose your mind) for the RSS whom it holds actually responsible for the expulsion of Jaswant Singh from the BJP. According to the paper,RSS,by this step,has given the message that “BJP is under its grip and the party will have to return to its agenda of Hindutva.” The paper says that “RSS has always been suspicious of leaders of the BJP without an RSS background.” Mention has been made,in this context,of Jaswant Singh,Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie “for whom a limit had been set in the party howsoever vocal they might have been about Hindutva.” A columnist in Delhi-based daily Hamara Samaj (August 22) poses the question: “what has happened to the party advocating freedom of expression for Tasleema Nasreen’s book,to gag freedom of expression now?”

Backlog of court cases

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Using the recent conference of CMs and chief justices of high courts as a peg,Hyderabad-based daily Rahnuma-e-Deccan,in an editorial on August 18,writes: “In our country the large number of pending court cases has always been a subject of discussion. But it is surprising that even though anxiety on these huge numbers has been expressed from the level of the President and the chief justice to all levels,the issue is not resolved. It is to be seen if the recent conference proves a milestone in this context or passes off as similar conferences of the past.” The paper points out that “11 per cent of positions of judicial authorities are lying vacant. The executive,more than the judiciary,is responsible for this situation. If funds are provided by the executive and hurdles in the process of appointments are removed,positions will not be vacant in such large numbers. For this,a well planned system of appointments is required.”

Facing a famine?

Deficiency of rain in most parts of the country resulting in large-scale drought is causing great concern in Urdu papers. Sahafat,in an editorial (Aug 17),writes: “The obvious and serious truth is that our country is facing a famine.” What is causing great concern are reports of depleting sub-ground water levels in northern India. “The reason for all this is that the human being has indulged in creating havoc for the environment (qudrat se bahut khilwar kiya) and the government on its part,forgot agriculture because of its obsession with industry”. Hindustan Express (August 20) has drawn attention to the view expressed by “eminent economists like Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and research institutions in Europe and America that the big danger to India is hunger.” The paper refers to the report of Stockholm’s International Water Management Institute and pleads for planned use of water resources and wonders “if we can learn from China’s experience”.