From the Urdu Press: Why is PM silent on Manipur, Muslims are not ‘outsiders’ in Uttarakhand, and could MP go Karnataka way - The Indian Express

Besides that, the Urdu press this week wrote about Madhya Pradesh politics, which has started hotting up in the run-up to the Assembly polls. Some of the dailies highlighted the story of a minority community-run school in Damoh that has been de-registered and is facing demolition over a poster showing Hindu girls in purported hijab, and over reciting a poem of poet Iqbal.

The New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its editorial on June 17, says that the continuing violence in Manipur must alarm both the state and Centre. "There has been a sense of alienation in the Northeast, where there is a feeling that despite being an integral part of the country, the region does not get the same focus and accountability from the ruling dispensation that some other states have," the editorial says. "If all efforts had been taken to take the Manipur people into confidence and prevent violence in the initial phase of the conflict, the crisis would not have snowballed so much that even after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to the state, violence continued in its some parts."

The editorial notes that amid a widening chasm, both the Kukis and Meiteis have declined to be even part of the peace committee constituted by the Centre. "Peace committees are formed for restoration of peace but if there is no consensus over even a peace panel, how could the peace process be facilitated?" it says, stressing that the resolution of the crisis requires sagacity and statesmanship.

The edit adds that the top brass of the ruling BJP hit the campaign trail in any poll-bound state repeatedly in their unrelenting attempt to boost the party's prospects, and asks whether they are showing the same keenness in defusing the crisis gripping Manipur.

The daily also asks why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not issued any statement so far on Manipur, calling it "most surprising".

SALAR

Referring to the communal tension prevailing in Uttarkashi, the Bengaluru-based Salar, in its leader on June 17, writes that the Uttarakhand High Court's order directing the state government to maintain law and order has come as some relief to the local Muslim community which, it says, has been reeling under an atmosphere of "fear and terror".

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During the hearing on June 15, the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led BJP government told the High Court that it had thwarted plans by right-wing organisations to hold the "mahapanchayat" in Purola town to protest alleged "love jihad" cases — with the district administration issuing prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC. The high court asked the state government that there should be no such gathering without the government's approval and that it should not give any such permission without assessing if there is any risk of violence.

The daily charges that the communal atmosphere has been vitiated in the belt as the state government has not cracked down on hate speeches and divisive activities involving the right-wing elements. This was reflected, it says, in the threatening posters which came up in the Purola market warning Muslim shop-owners of consequences if they did not shut down their businesses and leave. Such shops have remained shut for many days since then.

The editorial notes that communal tension has been simmering in Uttarkashi after two men, one of them Muslim, allegedly tried to abduct a minor Hindu girl, which was foiled. The two accused were booked and arrested. But the incident led to protests by right-wing groups and local trade bodies, which also targeted "outsiders". In a peaceful state like Uttarakhand, a dharm sansad was organised last year, where hate speeches were made against the Muslim community, the edit says. "Muslim are not outsiders in Uttarakhand. They have inhabited the region for centuries. They have got assimilated in its society and culture, participating in Holi, Diwali and Ram Leelas. Its Hindu community offers chadars at the dargahs of the Muslim saints."

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The daily says it has been evident that issues like "religious conversion" and "love jihad" have been raked up to fuel communal polarisation for political gains. The Uttarakhand government should follow the high court's directives to uphold law and order and ensure peace, it adds.

SIASAT

In its editorial on June 18, headlined "Madhya Pradesh bhi Karnataka ki raah par (Is MP also going the Karnataka way)?", the Hyderabad-based Siasat says that buoyed by its win in the Karnataka polls the Congress has started gearing up for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, making an outreach to different sections of people and announcing various programmes and guarantees for them. It has been charged by the BJP and a section of the media that the Congress has adopted soft Hindutva in its campaign for the MP polls, the daily states. "The BJP could openly practise hard Hindutva and push its agenda. It is however being said now that Modi's charisma and Hindutva would not be enough for the BJP's smooth sailing in an election," the edit says, adding that the point remains that its aggressive brand of Hindutva is still the saffron party's USP in the Hindi heartland. "And yet, its long tenure at the helm has created problems for the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, even as the Karnataka outcome has come as a booster for the Congress's bid for power in MP."

Drawing a parallel between the templates of the two states, the editorial says that like Karnataka the BJP had come to power in MP by toppling a government. In MP, the Congress government led by Kamal Nath collapsed in the wake of rebellion by senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and his group of MLAs. However, like in Karnataka, this power shift does not seem to be working for the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government, which has been facing an "anti-incumbency" after ruling for over 18 years, the edit says. "Some of the Congress rebels have also started to return to its fold. One of the erstwhile Scindia loyalists did so after taking out a massive convoy."

Like her role in the Karnataka electioneering, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to play a pivotal part in the party's campaign for the MP polls, the daily says, pointing out that while kickstarting it from a rally she highlighted the party's five poll guarantees. "In Karnataka too, the Congress's plank was centred on its guarantees for redressal of people's basic grievances, which the party's government has begun to fulfil soon after formation."

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