Opinion The BJP’s ‘New’ Face

Sahafat writes in its editorial on the same day: “Six years ago,Rajnath Singh as the BJP president,had decided to keep Narendra Modi out of the party’s parliamentary board. But,after the passage of time,conditions are such that he cannot ignore him. L.K. Advani has become isolated.” The daily Hamara Samaj in its editorial (April 2) asks: “The question is whether Modi,who has succeeded in hijacking the party,will also succeed in adding crores of people in the county to his votebank. If this happens,it would definitely be a matter of shame for a democratic country like India.”

A newly revived daily,Qaumi Salamati,edited by Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi,an accused in the bombing of an Israeli diplomat’s car,writes: “Whatever effort is made by the BJP to project itself as clean,the country’s new generation is not prepared to tolerate corrupt and tainted elements at any cost. Rajnath Singh’s first test will come in the Karnataka Assembly elections,where his own party’s rebels are determined to dislodge it from power,not to talk of the opposition parties.”

Bombay blasts verdict

In a commentary on the Supreme Court’s judgment in the 1993 bomb blasts in Bombay,Masoom Moradabadi,editor of Jadeed Khabar,writes: “Justice demanded that the same effort made to unveil the conspiracy of Bombay blasts and punish the guilty was made to find those guilty of the anti-Muslim riots in Bombay in 1992 and give them exemplary punishment.”

The weekly Nai Duniya,edited by former SP leader Shahid Siddiqui asked: “Terrorism has no religion,then why a religion for hanging? One country,one court,one law,then why double standards for justice? After Ajmal and Afzal,the noose is ready for Yakub Memon.” The paper writes: “No action has so far been taken on the riots… What is it,if not a mockery of justice that only one person,[Madhukar Sarpotdar,was slapped with a year’s sentence for the murder of 1,500 persons… and he got quick bail?”

Inquilab,in its editorial on March 23,writes: “If the ISI had hatched this conspiracy [of bomb blasts,what is the reason that there is still no strategy to deal with this universally hated organisation? Efforts should have been made by India to corner Pakistan under international law. This would have spared us Pakistan’s mischief,like the terror attack of November 2008.”

Adhikar Rally

Munsif,in its editorial on March 19,writes: “In the name of Bihar,he [Nitish Kumar has assumed the leadership of other backward states too… This posturing prior to the Delhi Assembly elections is significant. He believes that if the people of Bihar are united,Delhi will be in his pocket. If Bihar is given special status,the alliance between Nitish Kumar and the BJP could break down. If this happens before the assembly elections in November,the Congress could gain… Apart from demonstrating the strength of Bihar to the Centre through his rally,he also seems to be positioning himself to meet possible challenges within Bihar.”

Siasat,in an editorial on March 19,emphasises that Nitish Kumar at his rally said that the next person to sit on “Delhi’s throne” would be one “with the ability to move ahead and take all sections with him.” In so saying,“he has clearly targeted Narendra Modi.” Rashtriya Sahara,in its editorial on March 19,agrees; “Nitish Kumar’s stress on the Bihar model of development for the country was an attack on the Gujarat model espoused by Narendra Modi. He said the Bihar model provides for development of all sections.”

Compiled by Seema Chishti