The developments around the Nandigram incident, especially the army being deployed in Kolkata to quell the violent protests, have received a lot of attention in the Urdu press. Kolkata and Delhi based daily, Akhbar-e-Mashriq, in a lead story describes the sponsors of the protests on November 21 (the All India Minorities Forum) as a “letter-head organisation”. It writes: “angered by the recent statements of Taslima Nasreen, several Muslim youngsters took to the streets. But its leaders had disappeared”. This disappearance, the paper says led to “a worsening in the situation and the protests turned violent.” The paper says the Taslima Nasreen issue was taken up “alongside the Nandigram violence (CPM ke cadre ki barbariyat ke khilaaf — against the barbarism of CPM cadres)”. Rashtriya Sahara too, in its banner headline on Thursday says, “Gustaakh-e-Rasool, Taslima Nasreen aur Nandigram mein aqliyat kushi ke khilaaf gussa phoot para” — the anger against the blasphemous Taslima Nasreen and the minority-killing in Nandigram burst out today.

The ‘minority angle’ in the Nandigram episode has been discussed by the Urdu press. Akhbar-e-Mashriq, in an editorial on November 21, writes that, “everywhere Muslims are the main sufferers, and raped women also turn out to be Muslims. Muslim comrades treat this as a mere coincidence.” National Herald’s Qaumi Awaaz, on November 14, has described Nandigram as a “taandav naach of the extremists”. The paper points to CPM as the reason for Mamata Banerjee acquiring a veneer of respectability. The paper says, “ek aiyyaar madaari ki tarah, dug-dugi baja kar mobocracy ke dum par maamool ki zindagi ko maflooj karti rahi hain”, or she has cleverly, like a street performer, drummed her way to paralyse normal life, using mobocracy to her advantage. The paper says, “extremist Communists are trying to isolate CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.”

Poor joke

The headlines after Deve Gowda’s latest volte face are worth a mention.

‘Deve Gowda ke keechad mein dab gaya kamal’ — Hindustan Express (November 20).

‘Karnataka mein BJP ka kamal murjha gaya’ — Akhbar-e-Mashriq (November 20).

‘Kamal khilte hi murjha gaya’ — Rashtriya Sahara (November 20).

Hindustan Express in an editorial on November 20 has described the arrangement between the JD(S) and BJP as a “bhonda mazaak” , or poor joke. The paper says the “next scene of this drama is difficult to predict”. It terms this episode as the “worst example of selfishness and opportunism.”

Outdated vision

Delhi, Lucknow, Dehradun and Mumbai based daily Sahafat on November 18 mentions what Sonia Gandhi said on coalition politics, “ working in a coalition doesn’t imply losing one’s political space... Congress may be leading a coalition at the Centre, but it is its intense desire to form a government on its own ultimately.” Jamaat-e-Islami’s mouthpiece, Daawat, dated November 22 writes, “It would be better for the Congress leaders to accept that the thought of ruling over the country without the support of others is outdated. Their vote bank, comprising mainly the backward classes and minorities has got divided into different secular parties. They should not take a step that would isolate them from secular forces despite their party being secular” .

P.S.: Sahafat, on November 11, has a delightful feature on the role of Aligarh sherwanis in Indian politics. Anwar Mehndi, the famous tailor in the city has the measurements of leaders like Zakir Husain, V.P. Singh, Sanjiva Reddy, V.V. Giri, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Arjun Singh, Manmohan Singh and that of several governors and MPs in his register. Vice President Hamid Ansari too wears his sherwanis. According to Mehndi, during the recent polls in UP, he was summoned to the police helipad to take measurements for Rahul Gandhi, and has gone on to stitch a cream-coloured sherwani for him.