Hyderabad blast

Siasat, in an editorial, pleads for “patience and restraint to be maintained in a situation like this”. Apart from the blast, there seems to be more anger about the subsequent police firing. Rahnuma-e-Deccan (May 20) writes: “The firing by the police on those running scared after the blasts is as condemnable as the blasts themselves… (they) did not go through the process they should have before firing, and simply lobbed bullets.”

The newly launched daily, Etemaad, edited by Syed Salahuddin Owaisi’s son, Burhanuddin Owaisi, writes: “The firing was directed towards those protesting against the happenings, which is a democratic right, but the police does not even want Muslims to exercise that right.” The paper points at the possible involvement of the VHP, referring to the “VHP-connected clues found in the Nanded blasts, Jalna and in Parbhani

blast episodes”.

Gorakhpur blasts

On the Gorakhpur bomb blasts, Delhi daily, Hindustan Express, writes in an editorial on May 24, that “it is being argued in the context of the Gorakhpur blasts, terrorists are merely emphasising their presence. But nobody has said that the objective has been to divert attention of the people from the Hyderabad blast.” In its lead story, the paper says that “Chief Minister Mayawati has hinted that the BJP and the Samajwadi Party are responsible”.

UP election verdict

Mayawati’s victory has been hailed by all the newspapers. Even the pro-SP, Roznama Rashtriya Sahara on May 13 has described it as “a victory of democracy, secularism and of the deprived”. Mumbai’s Inquilab on May 13, in an article entitled ‘Mayawati ka haathi Muslims ka saathi?’ (Is Mayawati a friend of Muslims?) says, “As vote-share differences between her party and SP are so slender—it means even if she wavers a wee bit and doesn’t protect Muslim interests, she will end up the same way as the Congress and the SP.”

The Jamaat-e-Islami mouthpiece, Daawat, has criticised pollsters (May 19) saying, “Predictions about election results in Uttar Pradesh have once again been proved wrong. All predictions were for a hung assembly.” The paper adds that in “view of her past record of contempt for upper castes, this is a miracle”.

National Herald’s Qaumi Awaaz (May 14), spoofing Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘UP mein dum hai’ TV ads, has titled its editorial ‘UP mein dum hai, takht ulatne ka, taj pehnane ka’. However, they say that “it is clear from voter percentages of less than 50 per cent that voters have given a message that they have lost confidence in the reliability of democratic institutions”. Lucknow’s weekly tabloid, Jadeed Markaz, has titled its Page 1 story, Mayawati ne dikhaya dum, Mulayam hue bedam’. It terms BJP performance “shameful” and says Congress’ turup ka patta (trump card) Rahul Gandhi as having been “beaten”.

UPSC civil service list

The lists for the central civil services have been analysed by several papers and they conclude that Muslim representation is abysmal. Rahnuma-e-Deccan (May 16) says, “Sau mein sirf teen-chaar “ (Only three-four in a hundred). The paper writes that out of 478 successful candidates there are only 17 Muslims and 144 OBCs (more than eight times) and 80 SCs and 36 STs. Similar views have been expressed by Hyderabad’s Munsif (May 17) though it has lauded a Muslim girl who has gained 16th position.

PS

There has been speculation on where Mayawati will seek re-election from. Roznama Rashtriya Sahara (May 19) says, “She may contest from Khalilabad in East UP, as it appears to be getting a lot of attention,” including power supply for 20 hours.

Compiled by Seema Chishti