From the Urdu Press: ‘INDIA parties must think beyond state polls’, ‘Apple alerts can’t be ignored’, ‘why doles if fewer poor’

URDU TIMES

As the Assembly elections kick off, with Mizoram and some tribal belts of Chhattisgarh voting on Tuesday, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its editorial on November 5, says various surveys and reports indicate that the Congress may have an upper hand in the five poll-bound states. However, it adds: “The Congress leaders are betraying complacency and indulging in activity that seems to be undermining the Opposition INDIA alliance. Its allies are now openly saying that the grand old party is weakening the bloc.”

The editorial says: “Madhya Pradesh is a case in point, where the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) could not seal a seat-sharing arrangement, triggering a spat between the two parties that led to Akhilesh Yadav saying that the Congress would get the same treatment in Uttar Pradesh.”

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar has also come out to accuse the Congress of failing to “keep up the momentum” on the INDIA alliance front, blaming it on the party’s “preoccupation” with the Assembly polls, the daily notes. The grouping had released a list of TV anchors whom it said it would boycott for conducting “hate-filled debates”.

However, the Congress’s leading CM face in Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath is himself not abiding by it, the editorial says. “Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh are playing a game of one-upmanship, with both Congress heavyweights also engaged in promoting the political careers of their sons.”

At the same time, the daily writes, the INDIA bloc’s principal objective is the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which is “more crucial” than “clinching the MP polls”. For the sake of the MP polls, the targets for the Lok Sabha elections could not be “sacrificed”, it says. “This must be kept in mind by all INDIA bloc leaders. The point remains that the Congress’s success in MP would only strengthen their alliance. If the SP had a base in these five states, it would have been another matter, but MP would be a dream for the party,” the edit says. “The Congress’s win in these polls would be a victory of the INDIA bloc.”

SALAR

Flagging the row over “threat notifications” that several Opposition leaders said they received from Apple warning them of “State-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their iPhones, the Bengaluru-based Salar, in its leader on November 3, says that the political firestorm it set off was not manufactured. “When such notifications warn of State-sponsored attackers trying to hack phones, it is bound to be taken seriously,” it says. “If in any democratic system, such matters relating to the surveillance of the Opposition leaders come to light, explanations must be sought from the government.”

The editorial notes that this row is currently centred on “doubts and suspicions” as the alerts sent by the automated Apple system state that it might be a “false alarm”, although it should be taken seriously. “However, the Opposition leaders’ apprehensions on this matter could not be called unfounded. They have raised a valid question why these alerts have been received by only the Opposition leaders,” it says, adding that their concerns must be seen in the light of the Pegasus spyware scandal two years ago. “Some BJP leaders are trying to corner the Opposition leaders over the Apple notification row, which could not be called a rational and responsible position. After all, this is not an issue that the Opposition leaders have raked up. The alerts have been sent by Apple, and it is their duty to
make it public.”

The daily says the positive thing is the government seems to have taken cognisance of the controversy, ordering a probe into the matter while also asking Apple to join the investigations. “This is imperative for all stakeholders that rather than jumping to any conclusions they should all cooperate to make the inquiry thorough and credible,” the edit states. “This is an issue concerning not only the Opposition leaders’ privacy, but it also has a crucial bearing on the country’s democracy, which therefore cannot be ignored.”

SIASAT

Referring to PM Modi’s announcement in his speeches at election rallies in MP and Chhattisgarh that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) free ration scheme will be extended by five more years, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its editorial on November 5, says that while the BJP criticises the free welfare schemes being implemented by Opposition-ruled states, it rolls out similar freebies in its own political interest. “The BJP government claims that during the last nine-and-half years of its tenure, it has taken a raft of measures to lift crores of underprivileged above the poverty line. If there is veracity in such claims, then who are the targeted beneficiaries of its free welfare scheme of 5 kg foodgrains every month?” it asks.

The edit says the government must shed light on the actual plight of people in the country. “These doles are being used to exploit the poor for political dividends and to deflect attention from real problems. Rather than resorting to populist moves, the government should take concrete steps for public welfare.”