As the Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple row heats up with the Varanasi district court allowing puja to be performed in the mosque’s cellar, the minority side braced for a new round of legal battle right up to the highest court in the land. The Urdu dailies tracked the developments on this fraught issue, highlighting the despair and hopes of leading Muslim organisations.

The dailies also kept their focus on the battle shaping up for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, finding the Opposition INDIA camp in a shambles without even the will to fight the BJP.

URDU TIMES

Commenting on the Varanasi district court’s order to allow puja in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its February 4 editorial under the title “Insaaf mangte raho (Continue seeking justice)!”, writes that apprehensions had been expressed during the Babri Masjid row that, once it was replaced by the Ram Temple, other mosques would start facing threats. Referring to the Supreme Court’s November 2019 judgment in favour of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the editorial points out that the verdict also stated that the demolition of the Babri Masjid was a criminal act, and highlighted the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which stipulates that the religious character of a place of worship in the country, barring the one at Ayodhya, shall continue to be the same as it was on August 15, 1947. “However, after the inauguration of the Temple in Ayodhya, other disputes are now being stoked — and the Gyanvapi mosque figures on top of that list,” the daily says. “The disturbing thing is that the impartiality of the judicial system seems to have been compromised in such matters.”

The editorial notes that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has asserted that the Varanasi court’s “hasty” decision to allow puja at the mosque basement has pained the minority community and hurt the confidence of people in the judiciary. The edit says that the claim that puja was performed there until 1993 has been contested, but the court did not give the other side a chance to present its case.

“The judiciary needs to examine why there has been such a push now for searching temples in historical mosques. India is a secular country as per its Constitution, which provides for equality between all religions,” the daily says. “In all such disputes, the Muslim community should keep pursuing legal remedies to seek justice while maintaining restraint and patience.”

SIASAT

Highlighting the state of affairs in the Opposition camp, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its editorial on February 3, says that the INDIA bloc formed to take on the BJP has yet to become a stable and effective platform for the purpose. One of its architects, Nitish Kumar has crossed over to the BJP. Other leading lights of the alliance have not been able to put their act together, failing to hammer out a common formula for the formidable electoral battle ahead, the daily states. “From the SP’s Akhilesh Yadav to the TMC’s Mamata Banerjee to the AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal — none of them seems to be satisfied with the situation. They have continued to indulge in heated exchanges. After Nitish’s exit, it was expected that other INDIA leaders will close their ranks by setting aside their egos. But, clearly, they have chosen their own narrow interest over the alliance’s objective of countering the BJP unitedly.”

The BJP wanted a divided Opposition so that their road to victory does not run into any bumps, says the editorial. “The BJP’s slogan for the Lok Sabha polls is ‘Abki bar, 400 seats paar (400 seats this time)’. And a key aspect of its strategy is to ensure that the Opposition camp remains a divided house,” it states. While the INDIA alliance’s regional parties have their role in the states, the Congress, as its largest constituent, must rise to the occasion and steer the drifting bloc back on track, the edit says. “Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge should play a more proactive role with regard to the bloc’s affairs, even as Rahul Gandhi is continuing with the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,” it says, adding that the Opposition parties do not have any option other than fighting the BJP together. “And this is their political and moral obligation.”

SALAR

Referring to the continuing standoff between Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam, the Bengaluru-based Salar, in its editorial on February 5, says that following the arrest of former Jharkhand CM and JMM leader Hemant Soren by the ED in an alleged land scam, the threat of arrest by the central agency is looming over Kejriwal too.

“While the ED issued its fifth summons to Kejriwal for questioning him in the excise policy case, the Delhi CM maintained that the agency’s move was illegal. Kejriwal also alleged that the Narendra Modi-led BJP government was trying to destabilise his government as it does not want him to be free to lead his party’s campaign in the Lok Sabha polls,” the daily says, adding that the AAP chief has also charged that the BJP had made an offer to him to join the party in exchange for dropping all investigations. “Kejriwal said he rejected the BJP’s offer since they had not done anything wrong. He said they were following Mahatma Gandhi’s path of truth which will win eventually.”

The editorial notes that the AAP leaders have maintained from the beginning that they had not indulged in any any wrongdoing in the Delhi excise policy case. If the ED is involved in a “witch-hunt” against the AAP leaders at the behest of their political masters, it would further damage democracy, the edit says. “Hemant Soren had also been refraining from appearing before the ED in response to its repeated summonses, but the agency eventually went to his premises to question him and then arrested him,” it states. Hemant was then forced to resign as the CM. “Kejriwal is himself indicating that he could be subjected to a similar action. He has already held deliberations over such a possibility with his AAP colleagues and legislators, firming up an action plan in the event of his arrest,” the edit adds.