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Journalism of Courage
As both Houses of Parliament remain paralysed due to the continuing standoff between the Narendra Modi government and the Opposition over the Manipur crisis, the Urdu Press has kept its focus on this big story, flagging the deep concerns expressed by the Supreme Court on the “systemic acts of violence”, including crimes against women, in the strife-torn state. The Urdu dailies also highlighted the two-day visit of MPs from the Opposition INDIA alliance to Manipur, and closely tracked the Opposition’s no-confidence motion against the government, anticipating a fiery, thorough discussion on it, which would eventually break the logjam in the House.
Commenting on the Congress’s bid to table a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led government in the Lok Sabha, the multi-edition Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, in its editorial on July 27, states that the Opposition was forced to resort to this move as its demand for a full-fledged discussion on the Manipur unrest along with a statement from Prime Minister Modi was not accepted by the government. The daily writes that with Speaker Om Birla having accepted the Congress’s notice, the stage is now set for a no-holds-barred discussion on the no-confidence motion in the House, during which sparks are bound to fly and fireworks exchanged between the Treasury and Opposition Benches.
The editorial points out that the no-trust motion is not going to pose any threat to the Modi government, which enjoys an overwhelming numerical edge in the Lower House, which the Opposition could only hope to change through electoral means in the 2024 general elections. But, it says, a no-confidence motion moved by a sizeable section of the House against the government is still a significant legislative censure of the latter’s conduct.
The daily notes that the first no-trust motion that the Modi government faced in its first term, in July 2018, was defeated 126-325 and that the second one during its over nine-year-long tenure so far would also meet a similar fate. “However, the key difference is that the Opposition is largely united under the umbrella grouping INDIA – and they also have a common stand over the Manipur situation,” the editorial says. “The surprising point is that while PM Modi made a political comment on Manipur outside Parliament he has refrained from making a statement on the issue in the House. The grim Manipur situation demands that PM apprise Parliament of the steps the government has taken to deal with the cycle of violence as well as crimes against women in the Northeastern state,” it says, noting that a PM who is ever so eloquent on every issue has kept mum over the Manipur crisis so far. “It is to be seen now how the PM frames his response to the Manipur issue during the debate on the no-confidence motion.”
In its leader published on July 30 with the heading ‘Jalta Manipur aur hukumat (Manipur burning and the government)’, the Bengaluru-based Salar points to the CBI taking over the investigation into the Manipur viral video case in which two women were sexually assaulted and paraded naked by a mob, which set off a national outrage. The editorial says that while the CBI has filed an FIR in the matter, the question looms whether the perpetrators would be punished or not. It states that in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the Central government has requested the court to allow the trial in the case to be moved out of the state. The Centre has also apprised the court of the government’s efforts to provide mental health intervention and legal aid to the affected people as remedial measures, the edit says. “The government has also claimed that the Manipur situation has now improved.”
The apex court had taken suo motu cognisance of the Manipur outrage after its video surfaced, seeking the government’s response while asserting that it will step in if the latter failed to act, the daily notes. “The accused in the case were arrested following the Supreme Court’s intervention, with the impression now gaining ground that the government’s action was driven by the top court,” the editorial says. It adds that the government’s action would also come under scrutiny in Parliament during the ongoing session.
In its editorial on July 25, headlined ‘Telangana, intakhabi mausum aur hukumat (Telangana, poll season and government)’, the Hyderabad-based Siasat notes that with Telangana heading for the Assembly polls in a few months, all the major contenders have ramped up their preparations, finalising strategies for their outreach to the voters. “The morale of the BJP’s cadre seems to have been dampened. In contrast, the Congress has been enthused by its triumph in neighbouring Karnataka and is planning a roadmap for its return to power in Telangana, with its central leadership holding multiple meetings with the state leaders to galvanise them into emerging as a united force,” it writes.
On its part, the BRS government, led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao or KCR, has also stepped up its poll moves, mounting a massive exercise for reaching out to various sections, the editorial states. While the KCR government is expanding the “Dalit Bandhu” welfare scheme for providing financial assistance to Dalits, it has also launched an economic support scheme of Rs 1 lakh for Backward Classes (BCs), the edit says. “In view of uneasiness among minorities, the BRS government, while keeping the Karnataka poll outcome in mind, has now also extended the Rs 1 lakh economic support scheme to the minorities. This will however not benefit the minorities much since there had been a similar Minorities Finance Corporation scheme for them, with the difference being that earlier it was linked to loans but this time it is a 100 per cent subsidy scheme.”
The daily goes on to state that “Such a sop for minorities in election time would not be enough to woo them. The Muslim community has been facing several challenges which have not been addressed by the BRS government during its tenure over the last nine years. The BRS had pledged 12 per cent reservation for Muslims, but the party has steered clear of it now. Similarly, the government has not taken any measures to curb the rampant loot of the wakf properties across the state that could reassure the community.” It charges that even the 4 per cent Muslim quota, announced by the then Y S Rajashekar Reddy-led Congress government in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, which is now availed by the socially and economically backward members of the community, is not being implemented properly. “The BRS government is now rolling out various sops for all communities just ahead of elections… Time would tell whether its delayed attempts would gain public approval or not,” it adds.
