From the Urdu Press: ‘Mamata like Indira, ahead of BJP at every step’; ‘BJP won’t rein in Himanta, civil society must move courts’

Referring to the showdown between the government and the Opposition in the Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi was disallowed by Speaker Om Birla from quoting from an article based on General (retired) Naravane’s unpublished memoir “Four Stars of Destiny” — which the LoP repeatedly tried to do in a bid to target the government over India’s military face-off with China in eastern Ladakh in August 2020 — the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its February 10 editorial, notes that their standoff has now intensified with the INDIA alliance deciding to move a no-confidence motion against the Speaker. There was a gridlock in the House for several days, which also saw the suspension of eight protesting Opposition MPs. “The Opposition members have accused the Speaker of adopting a partisan approach in favour of the government, suppressing” their voice, and even stopping the LoP from making his speech,” the editorial states. It says that given the NDA’s numerical edge in the House, the motion against the Speaker would not succeed, but “the Opposition wants to make a point through this rare move”.

The daily points out that the Opposition has a critical mandate in a parliamentary democracy. “The Opposition plays the role of a watchdog, highlighting not only various shortcomings and irregularities in the decisions and schemes of the government in public interest, but also suggests measures to improve them,” it says. “The government may not agree with the Opposition’s views, but it must ensure the latter’s right to dissent. This democratic principle has been part of our parliamentary tradition. However, the government does not seem to be ready to give space to the Opposition, leading to their standoff in Parliament.”

The edit says both the Treasury and Opposition benches should make efforts to bridge their divide and make Parliament work to uphold its dignity and majesty. “There are bound to be sharp political and ideological differences between the two camps over various issues. But, both of them should desist from turning the House into a political battleground,” it adds.

URDU TIMES

Highlighting West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee’s unprecedented move to appear before the Supreme Court to argue her case against the SIR exercise, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its February 5 leader, compares her with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, saying that like Indira, Mamata is also an “iron lady”. “Mamata has been fighting against alleged authoritarianism, injustice and subversion of democracy and the Constitution on all fronts — from streets to the House, to the apex court,” the editorial says, adding that she has taken her battle to the BJP. “Mamata has been at the forefront of a campaign against alleged irregularities in the SIR and deletion of names of lakhs of electors. She wrote letters to the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, questioning the SIR’s methodology, led a delegation of SIR-affected people to meet him in Delhi, confronted the police, and stormed out of her meeting with Kumar as she found his response unsatisfactory,” it notes.

The daily says the Bengal CM then reached the top court to argue her petition against the SIR in person, alleging that the EC was “targeting” her state and “bulldozing” its people. The court issued notice to the EC on her petition. The TMC chief is known for being a fearless leader, the edit says. “To get an advantage in the upcoming Bengal elections, the BJP has been trying various strategies. But Mamata has continued to remain ahead of the BJP every step of the way. Her courage and leadership have been exemplary — if the leaders of other secular parties rally round her they could together get the better of the BJP,” it says, adding that the TMC will contest the elections on its own steam since other Opposition parties are not backing it.

SIASAT

Flagging a viral video uploaded by the Assam BJP, which showed CM Himanta Biswa Sarma training a rifle at two men in skull caps with the caption “point blank shot”, Siasat, in its February 9 editorial, says that while several BJP leaders, including ministers, have allegedly been engaged in competitive communal politics, Himanta seems to be aiming to secure an upper hand in this cynical play. “This divisive game marked with hate speech reflects the BJP’s politics of polarisation targeting the Muslim community in a bid to reap electoral dividends,” it says. “Undermining the mandate and dignity of his constitutional post, Himanta has been indulging in spreading hate against Muslims unrelentingly, turning a blind eye to his duty to ensure equal treatment for the welfare and development of every community.”

The daily notes that after dubbing Bengali-origin Muslims “Miyas” pejoratively, Himanta has also called for “troubling” them in various forms like making underpayment to them for their rickshaw service. “And now, the Assam CM is shown in a video firing at men wearing skull caps. This is subversion of law and the Constitution. And, yet, the Centre or any agency would not take any action against him,” it says. The video was later deleted by the Assam BJP following widespread outrage.

The edit says Himanta had once faced corruption charges when he was a Congress minister in Assam. “After he switched to the BJP, the latter adopted silence over these cases, and even elevated him to the CM’s post. By dialling up communal rhetoric, Himanta may be trying to return the favour,” it states. “While any expectation of an impartial response from the BJP dispensation to rows involving Himanta is futile, it is incumbent on the civil society to move courts against him, which seem to be the only hope for justice now.”