The Urdu press took a grim view of BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s communal slurs and abuse directed at a fellow MP Danish Ali of the BSP during the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Chandrayaan-3 mission on September 21. Communal abuse of Muslims, they said, reflects the mindset of the ruling party at the Centre. The Urdu press also had its focus on the women’s reservation Bill, with some questioning the delay in its implementation. Salar In its editorial on September 24, the Bengaluru-based Salar said the BJP and like-minded organisations had emboldened their workers amid a worsening climate for Muslims. “Bidhuri’s remarks against Ali in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and all other elected members of Parliament not only lowers the dignity of the House but it is an open murder of Indian democracy,” the daily wrote. The editorial underlined that giving the BJP MP 15 days to reply on a show-cause notice cannot be termed justice. “It seems that Prime Minister Modi and his team want to win the general elections in 2024 by grooming hate-mongers like Bidhuri. The hate against Muslims is no longer restricted to the streets only, it has entered Parliament. And the silence of the Prime Minister further fuels this hate,” Salar said. Salar was scathing in its criticism of Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin for his remarks against the Sanatan Dharma, calling it equally reprehensible. “What kind of secularism is this? The old language of politics in these sensitive times won’t help. It is a sad commentary that even after 56 years of being in power in Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian movement resorted to attacking the Sanatan Dharma.” Siasat The Hyderabad-based newspaper in its editorial on September 24 also slammed Bidhuri and his party, saying the BJP parliamentarian had already “tarnished” the new Parliament building with his remarks. Danish Ali, the daily said, should have resigned from the House. The daily was also critical of Speaker Om Birla. “He (Om Birla) didn't even express regret for the kind of language and abuse Bidhuri used… Some members were suspended from the House for the entire session for using any harsh phrase or word against the government or the ministers or the Prime Minister, but here only verbal reprimand was considered sufficient. This behaviour can be called incomprehensible.” Rashtriya Sahara In its Kolkata edition dated September 26, Rashtriya Sahara labelled the passage of the women’s reservation Bill a political stunt and a move timed to reap electoral gains in the Lok Sabha polls. “If one were to analyse BJP’s success in electoral politics over the years, what is clear is that it picks issues that guarantee the party’s success… It is, however, a different thing that the success of the BJP is not the success of the country. A considerable majority feels that way,” read the paper’s editorial. Questioning the delay in the implementation of the Bill — it is unlikely to come into force before 2029 — the paper questioned the need to hold a special session of Parliament to pass it now. “Had the BJP-led Central government been sincere about the issue, it would have ensured its implementation with immediate effect. The BJP aims to squeeze out gains in elections only. The urgency with which the party moved on the Bill only shows that it hopes to gain in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” the editorial said.
