Opinion Why oblige Nitish?

Claiming that “no individual is secular,unless he is an atheist”,Vaidya asserts that “the state has to be secular” because a “non-secular or a theocratic state is a perversity,a contradiction in terms”. While the article says that the whole debate is “uncalled for”,as Lok Sabha elections are two years away,it goes after Nitish for his motives. The article also laments Nitish’s “haste” over his prime ministerial “ambition” and says little to back Modi’s purported ambition for the same post.

While the article gave little indication for who the RSS’s choice for PM might be,it asserts that the Sangh Parivar is well within its right to support “a devotee of Hindutva” for the post of PM,just as Nitish has got the right to demand a “secular PM”. But there is no reason for the BJP to “oblige” Nitish on this issue,the article says. “Why is Nitish in such haste? If he wants to severe his party’s ties with the NDA,he can do it any time,” says Vaidya,stating that Nitish is free to aspire for prime ministership and also “amuse himself” with his personal opinion about Modi. Vaidya gives assurances that the “devotee of Hindutva” who will be the RSS’s choice “will surely guarantee that his statecraft will be genuinely secular” and will not practice “pseudo-secularism”.

Missing Abu Jundal

THE issue of the deportation of the Mumbai terror accused Abu Jundal to India from Saudi Arabia has failed to get due space in both RSS journals,perhaps due to publication deadlines. However,the Panchjanya has an editorial that says that the revelations from Jundal further confirm India’s stance on the involvement of Pakistan’s state players in the 2008 attacks. The editorial has asked the Indian government to act “tough” against Pakistan and tell them that it will not tolerate anti-India actions emanating from their soil behind the curtain of commercial ties and talks.

Gag order

AN EDITORIAL in Organiser criticises the UPA government’s efforts to remove “offensive” content from the Internet and charges them for seeking to “gag” the public. “The UPA government is out to gag the free and critical voice,” says the editorial,and alleges that “government investigative agencies are on a huge hunt to locate the physical location and identity of several IP addresses from America,which have posted material not palatable to the Gandhi family.”

Target Akhilesh

AS THE BJP tries to find its feet in the increasingly bipolar polity of Uttar Pradesh,RSS weekly Panchjanya has trained its guns at the state’s youngest CM,Akhilesh Kumar in an article evaluating his government’s record on crime since assuming power.

The article compares records on rape,dacoity,kidnapping,loot,murder,extortion and riots in the Akhilesh regime with the last two years to say that “the extent of crime within this period surpasses even that of previous Mayawati regime” and asserts that UP is moving towards “lawlessnes” and “anarchy” under his rule.

Another report highlights the 81 per cent hike in the budget for minority welfare to charge Akhilesh with “Muslim appeasement”,implying it was done with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

Compiled by Ravish Tiwari