‘Suvendu govt must come clean over IPS Bushara Bano transfer row’
The government’s announcement that the UPI person-to-merchant transactions over Rs 2,000 would attract a fee of 0.4%, which triggered attacks and rollback demands from the Opposition, made headlines in the Urdu dailies. Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron ki Goonj” event in Indore and West Bengal IPS officer Bushara Bano’s abrupt transfer soon after she used some Arabic phrases used in common Muslim greetings also dominated the coverage of the dailies, which kept their focus on the widespread turmoil unleashed by the Election Commission’s controversial SIR (Special Intensive Revision) exercise.
Referring to the fifth edition of Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron Ki Goonj” function in Indore, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its September 21 leader, points out that the Leader of Opposition (LoP) has held this student outreach programme earlier in Kota, Prayagraj, Dehradun and Pune. “Rahul has kept these events interactive and centred on student issues. He invites students onto the stage and encourages them to ask questions and raise their issues. This Rahul initiative has been creating resonance among the youth, upsetting the BJP-led government,” the editorial says, adding that various attempts have allegedly been made to undermine it and discredit him.
The daily states that it is the duty of a government in a democracy to respond to questions from its critics, youth and other sections, but the dissenters, including the Opposition, have been systematically targeted in the country through various means and agencies in recent years. “The student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over exam paper leaks revealed deep disquiet and anger among the youth, which led to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. While the problems besetting the country’s youth rage, their efforts to seek resolution and accountability are facing hurdles. In this backdrop, Rahul is giving them a platform to highlight their issues directly before a national audience,” the edit says, adding that Chhatron Ki Goonj is gaining traction among Gen Z, drawing their increasingly larger crowds, which has caused worry for the ruling dispensation.
Pointing to the “system versus students” theme of Rahul’s Indore event, the editorial says while the system may not be willing to engage with the questioning youth, it should address their questions rather than making bids to corner them. “The point cannot be overemphasised that if the youth can propel a party to government it can also oust it from power.”
INQUILAB
Commenting on the row over transfer of the 2021-batch IPS officer Dr Bushara Bano by the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in West Bengal after some right-wing groups raised objection to her use of salutations like Assalamu Alaikum, Inshallah and Jazakallah, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its September 16 editorial, asks whether it has become a crime for any Muslim officer to use such common Arabic phrases of greetings. “Could the use of such phrases put a question mark over any officer’s patriotism, impartiality and official duty? If not, then the Bengal government should spell out the reasons why it suddenly transferred Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur Bushara Bano to the post of Deputy Commandant, SAP 4th Battalion?”
The daily underlines that Bushara’s transfer came just after some right-wing groups and trolls complained about her use of the three Muslim cultural phrases of greetings in her video message on social media, in which she, while reflecting on her journey, commended the Residential Coaching Academy (RCA) at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for helping her prepare for and clear the UPSC exam. “If Bushara’s transfer was linked to her use of these terms, it raises a grave question over constitutionalism, religious freedom and administrative neutrality in the country,” it says, asking whether the Constitution has mandated any national expression for officers serving the Indian state.
The daily says leaders like CM Adhikari should shed light on the direction towards which they would like to steer the country. “Clearly, victimising a Muslim on the basis of her identity and culture is a sign of bigotry, which violates the constitutional spirit, ethical conduct, and human dignity,” it says, adding that a mother of two children, Bushara’s achievement in clearing the UPSC exam with distinction is a testament to her resolve and hard work. “Instead of attacking their religious identity, these women should be showered with praises for their ability and services,” the edit says, adding that the troubling questions in the row have a bearing not only on Bushara but on every citizen of India.
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Referring to the Rajasthan urban local body election results, Siasat, in its September 16 editorial, says that it has come as a ray of hope as well as a matter of concern for the key contenders. While the contests for over 10, 200 wards in the Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Municipalities across the state saw the BJP having an upper hand by bagging over 4,100 seats, the Congress also gave the ruling party a tough fight, winning more than 3,600 seats, the edit notes. “While the BJP has tried to project its narrow win as a major triumph, the outcome could be a cause for worry for it.”
Despite the “double-engine” BJP government, in the state and at the Centre, the Congress managed to put up a significant show, wresting some municipal bodies in the strongholds of senior BJP leaders, the daily says. What could be more concerning for the BJP after completing two-and-half-years at the helm of the state could be that while the party secured about five hundred more wards than the Congress, it could garner just 0.91% votes more than the latter, it states. “The BJP is still celebrating its success for optics, even though it lost the Bharatpur Corporation on Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s home turf to Independents, and was defeated by the Congress in the Jhalawar Council in party heavyweight Vasundhara Raje’s bastion.”
Independents registered a remarkable performance in these civic polls, the editorial notes. In the BJP’s urban bastions like Bikaner and Ajmer, the Congress beat the party. The results mark a moment of reckoning for the BJP ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections, given that Rajasthan has a tradition of electing a BJP or Congress government by rotation every five years, the edit notes. “The civic polls may thus pave the way for the Congress’s run for the 2028 elections. However, what could make the political situation more complicated is the victory of Independents in more than 2,000 wards,” it says. “Both the leading parties need to review their strategies and step up their outreach to the people.”
