Opinion Bamiyan to Gaya

“Rarely will someone disagree with the fact that the Bihar government has contributed to the deepening of the roots of IM (in Bihar),” says an article in Panchjanya. It blamed Nitish’s “appeasement policy” for making Bihar a “safe haven” for terrorists. Echoing these sentiments,the editorial in the Organiser suggests Nitish should shun his “secularist mantra” and wake up to the realities of the IM’s deepening roots in his state. “Before showcasing the most successful model of good governance,Shri Nitish Kumar should take some bodh (lessons) from the dhamma of Buddha and not the ‘secularist mantra’ of trivialising terror,propounded by Mr Digvijaya Singh and his party,” says the editorial,asserting that the “attack is primarily suspected to be the handiwork of Indian Mujahedeen (IM),in retaliation [for the anti-Muslim violence in Burma.”

However,the Organiser also notes Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s attempt to “twist” the narrative by linking the “Bodh Gaya episode to Shri Narendra Modi’s interaction with the BJP workers in Bihar” a day earlier.

HISTORIC VERDICT

While the BJP has given a guarded reaction to the Supreme Court verdict barring jailed or convicted leaders from becoming legislators,the Sangh Parivar has hailed it as a “historic verdict”. An editorial in Panchjanya rues that this initiative should have come from political parties themselves. It lauds the verdict saying that it has come at the “right time”. “This judgment,in many ways,is significant in restoring the faith of common masses in the democratic process… unless public opinion is garnered to [pressure the government for this cleansing act,mere Supreme Court interventions will not suffice,” says an article in the Organiser.

Panchjanya highlights this development as positive news for Uttar Pradesh where both the BJP and Congress have been relegated to the fringes: “The era of Mulayam and Mayawati brand of politics that prevailed for last two decades is all set to be over,” an article asserts,claiming that the these two leaders abetted the “criminalisation of politics” in the state after they rode to power on the back of caste-based politics.

FOOD SHORTCUT

Recognising that the Congress’s attempts to stake sole credit for food security were based on “hopes to change the outcome of the general elections”,the Organiser runs down the manner in which the ordinance was promulgated and highlights the potential adverse impact of the move,while praising BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh’s similar project undertaken less than a year ago: “Congress launched the scheme as a Brahmastra to win the coming general elections… But the experts feel the scheme will have an enormous impact on the cereals market and the farm economy and presents significant operational challenges,” says an article,while another describes the ordinance as a “prescription for disaster”: “Turning [the nation into a massive ration shop… is a formidable and unnecessary proposition,” it reasons.

Compiled by Ravish Tiwari