Opinion The Lokpal conundrum

The daily Inquilab published from Mumbai,Delhi,Lucknow,Kanpur and Bareilly,writes in its editorial on July 5: “The BJP’s response is rather opportunistic. It is caught in a serious dilemma,at a time when Manmohan Singh,as prime minister,has himself expressed his readiness to come under the Lokpal’s ambit. Perhaps it thinks that if it opposes the PM being under the Lokpal’s scrutiny,there would be no difference between the Congress and the BJP. It would also imply that it is choosing a path different from that of Anna Hazare’s campaign… But supporting this move is not possible either,because it aims to win power in 2014,meaning that the next prime minister could be from the BJP.”

The PM’s words

Jamaat-e-Islami’s bi-weekly,Daawat comments on July 4 on the PM’s meeting with senior editors,saying that the focus should be on solutions,rather than on exploring problems. “Wanting to present a better picture of the government,rather than concentrating on the problems at hand,sympathy in place of solutions,and making mere promises do not indicate good governance.”

The paper notes the PM’s statement that he is not against being under the ambit of Lokpal,with the rejoinder that the opinion of his cabinet,including many leaders of the ruling coalition,is different,and a decision would be taken only after a consensus among the coalition partners,opposition parties and the civil society. “In this context,what meaning can be attributed to the statement that he is is not a weak prime minister and his grip on the government is tight?” 

Delhi-based daily Jadeed Khabar writes in a piece of commentary on July 30: “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has broken the lock of silence and tried to clarify many issues. To what extent he has succeeded will be decided by the people and political analysts.”

No options on Telangana

Siasat,in its July 4 editorial titled ‘A new dawn of Telagana’s struggle’,writes: “The demand for a separate Telangana state is very intense. All kinds of efforts have been made by the Congress high command and the Centre to put this legitimate demand on the backburner. The Srikrishna Committee’s recommendations have been part of this procrastination policy,and instead of clear solutions to the Telangana problem,it presented more complications. Worse,the committee tried to view the Telangana issue from a communal angle… The struggle for a separate state is reaching a decisive stage… This policy (of procrastination) would amount to political suicide by the Congress in the Telangana region because now the people there are not willing to accept anything short of their demand for a separate state.”

In its July 6 editorial,the paper asserts that “a firm decision on Telangana is imperative.” It warns that “Congress leaders of Telangana have dared to take the bold step of collective resignations. The Centre or Congress high command should realise that many incidents are waiting to happen on the political front. If the Centre repeats its old habit of pushing Telangana-related problems into the background,popular sentiment in the Telengana region could assume grave proportions.”

Another leading daily from Hyderabad,Munsif,in its editorial on July 5,pleads for “immediate steps for a separate Telangana.” It writes: “Now that the majority of elected representatives of the Telangana region have submitted their resignations,including even ministers of the ruling Congress,it is hoped that the Centre will initiate steps for the creation of Telangana as soon as possible.”

Inquilab,in its editorial on July 6,writes that all political prescriptions for avoiding action on this issue have been used. “Now,if anything can be done,it must be a decision. The government does not have any options except a decision.”