Finding Truce; Nervous BJP; Slap-bang Development
Opinion Watch
Finding Truce
Protesting wrestlers and the Central government have tied to a June 15 deadline to completion of the police probe against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, and The Pioneer in its Editorial has said that the Centre agreed to all demands of the protesting Olympians. The daily also stated that Union Minister Anurag Thakur has committed to ensure that Singh and his associates would be barred from June 30 election for the wrestling federation.
The Noida-based daily has opined that the government has come clean by accepting all the demands of the protesting wrestlers. It also stated it was a good riddance for the government.
Back channel negotiations worked to bring the government and the wrestlers to talk to each other. The truce is also an admission on the part of the BJP that the party-led government erred in its bid to fan conspiracy theories against the wrestlers.
Nervous BJP
The Asian Age has said in its Editorial that the BJP has shrugged off the self-doubt following the Karnataka visit to brace up for several state elections. Sizing up the electoral challenges in the Assembly elections, the daily opined that the BJP may be comfortably placed in Rajasthan, at least, on account of Sachin Pilot rebellion in the Congress and the trend of an incumbent government voted out.
The daily also reasoned that all the parties should approach elections equally “stoically, strongly, with sangfroid” and not let a defeat deter them. It also hoped that the Congress and the Opposition too will shrug off inertia and approach elections with chin up and energy.
The BJP is now beset with self-doubt, and there are no signs that the saffron outfit has outgrown the humiliation in Karnataka where Brand Narendra Modi came a cropper. The self-doubt for the BJP may be more troublesome, because the saffron outfit is committing tactical mistakes too often.
Slap-bang Development
The Economic Times in its Editorial hit out at the slap-bang, helter-skelter development model of Uttarakhand in the backdrop of 119 pilgrims in the last 45 days dying during the Char Dham Yatra. The daily stated that over two lakh pilgrims needed medical attention, which is over 10 per cent of the total 20 lakh pilgrims so far.
The business daily noted that extreme weather conditions, rains, hardships are taking a severe toll on the pilgrims, while the state government is short in ramping up facilities for the people taking part in the annual religious travel.
High toll during the Char Dham Yatra this year reaffirms the need to overhaul the whole system of crowd management lock, stock, and barrel. Also, reckless construction works in Uttarakhand must pass the toughest scrutiny of the green bodies.
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