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Journalism of Courage
More than 10 days after it stormed to power in Delhi after 27 years, the BJP is now set to pick its chief ministerial face and start the government-formation exercise. The vanquished Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is undergoing a soul-searching even as it stares at the fallout of its Delhi debacle in Punjab, which is now the lone party-ruled state. The Urdu dailies kept their focus on a cascade of such stories over the week. They also spotlighted the imposition of the President’s rule in Manipur convulsed by ethnic violence since May 2023.
Flagging the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government’s move to constitute a seven-member committee headed by the state director general of police (DGP) to suggest a law to curb the “love jihad” cases in Maharashtra, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its February 16 editorial, says, “The BJP has built up various issues and turned them into its instruments and that the party has now managed to even make a political weapon out of interfaith relationship or marriage by labelling it ‘love jihad’”. The editorial points out that the BJP and its allied outfits have sought to whip up sentiments among the majority community that Muslim men allegedly lure Hindu women into marriage to exploit them or convert them to Islam. “There might be a few such cases in our country but they are not part of any organised activity or conspiracy. The BJP seizes on them to stoke the row, polarise the people and garner its political dividends,” the edit states. The Mahayuti government’s decision to set up a committee on love jihad reflects the BJP’s play, it says. “Instead of taking measures to ensure public welfare and the state’s development, the BJP-led government is trying to project ‘love jihad’ as a major problem. Its bid to form a panel over the issue is an eyewash meant to sanctify its game plan for bringing an ‘anti-love jihad’ law.”
The daily points out that under our country’s laws and the Constitution, every adult person has got the right and liberty to form a consensual relationship or matrimonial alliance with another adult person. “These ties are matters of personal choice that could not be linked to any conspiracy. No government should make a travesty of its mandate by stepping into the personal lives of the citizens,” it says. “Instead of resorting to such stunts for political gains, the government of Maharashtra or that of any state should focus on doing their job to improve the plight of their states and provide relief to people.”
Referring to the state of affairs in the AAP, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its February 15 editorial, says that questions are now being raised over the very existence of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party following its defeat at the hands of the BJP in the Delhi Assembly polls. It states that while the AAP continues to rule Punjab under CM Bhagwant Mann, the Punjab Congress camp has claimed that many AAP MLAs have been in touch with its leaders. In the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls, the AAP had swept the state, winning 92 out of 117 seats as against the Congress’s 17 seats. “However, the AAP’s Delhi defeat has triggered worry among its Punjab legislators. They seem to fear that the party has lost its popularity, given that virtually its entire top brass, including Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Satyendar Jain and Somnath Bharti, lost their seats,” the edit says.
Some anti-incumbency sentiments may also be setting in among the people of Punjab with the Mann government not being able to fulfil some key election promises (like Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to every woman) so far, the daily states. “On the other hand, the principal Opposition Congress is putting its act together and mounting efforts to regain its ground in the state. If the AAP is ousted from power in Punjab too, it would be difficult for the party to ensure its survival. The AAP’s rise in Indian politics was meteoric — its fall may then also turn out to be dramatic,” it says.
Kejriwal has been blamed for the AAP’s loss in the national capital, especially his bid to torpedo an alliance with key INDIA bloc ally Congress for the Delhi polls, the edit claims. While the Congress again drew a blank in the polls, the grand old party hurt the AAP in several seats, it notes. “While Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav and Sharad Pawar have continued to align with the Congress in their respective states, Kejriwal failed to grasp the significance of alliance in the country’s politics, and paid the price.”
Highlighting the Narendra Modi government’s move to impose the President’s rule in the BJP-ruled Manipur a few days after Chief Minister N Biren Singh stepped down, Siasat, in its February 15 leader, points out that while the demand for Biren’s resignation was being raised from different quarters for many months, the BJP high command was not ready to accept it. Finally, after making its assessment of the prevailing situation, the BJP leadership decided to jettison Biren, the editorial says. “Biren put in his papers at a time when the Opposition Congress was gearing up to bring a no-confidence motion against his government, which threatened it as a section of the BJP MLAs had also been up in arms against him,” it says, adding that some of the BJP dissidents even visited New Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in this regard.
The daily notes that a new chapter has now opened in Manipur politics, with the Centre assuming all powers through Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, putting the state Assembly under suspended animation. “However, the crucial issue is not about who is calling the shots in Manipur; it remains the question, when will peace be restored in the strife-torn state – and when will the process of dialogue be initiated between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos to resolve their conflict. The onus lies squarely on the BJP which is in power in both the state and at the Centre,” it says.
The editorial points out that Manipur has been roiled by an ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos since May 3, 2023, which has so far killed over 250 people and destroyed a large number of homes and businesses, leaving tens of thousands homeless. It is imperative to bring normalcy in Manipur, given the raging social and political turmoil in the state and its regional implications, the edit says. “This is unfortunate that PM Modi has not visited Manipur till now and has virtually remained silent over its crisis. And there has been no change in Manipur’s situation which remains fraught and disturbing,” it states, asking the Centre to work out a comprehensive roadmap to ensure the return of peace in the Northeastern state. “The Centre must reach out to all sections of people in Manipur, address their concerns and restore their confidence in the government. It must give priority to providing relief to the beleaguered people of the state”.
