The Supreme Court order putting the State Bank of India (SBI) on a 24-hour notice on the electoral bonds issue and the surprise resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel led to scathing editorials in the Urdu dailies. One of the dailies called the SBI a “middleman” for “being reluctant” in disclosing the names of the donors of electoral bonds. The apex court on Monday dismissed the SBI’s application seeking an extension till June 30 for providing details of electoral bonds.
URDU TIMES
Urdu Timesin its March 12 editorial, wrote that the Supreme Court has delivered a “historic verdict” on the electoral bonds issue. “Contrary to perceptions that the SC order on electoral bonds will just be an eyewash, the apex court’s order turned out to be historic,” the Mumbai-based daily wrote.
The editorial underlined that the lawyers representing the SBI had a tough time answering the questions posed by the five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court. It also called out the SBI’s dilly-dallying in disclosing the details of electoral bonds, saying the tactic did not work in the apex court, which, instead, set a 24-hour deadline to furnish the details.
“At the same time the court also directed the Election Commission of India to publish the details on its website,” it said. The order will help in restoring the deteriorating image of the court, the editorial said.
“SBI was supposed to submit the details of the bonds on March 6, but it resorted to various tactics to delay the process. This begs the question as to why the bank is reluctant in disclosing the details of the bonds, and why it is not revealing the names of people who have contributed crores of rupees as part of electoral funding. Who are these donors whose identity the SBI is reluctant to reveal?” the editorial asked.
“A lot of noise was made to bring back black money stashed in Swiss banks, but nothing has been done in this regard. On the contrary, the SBI now is helping in hiding the black money. Under whose direction did the bank spoil its image? People will eventually get to know. Media houses and NGOs – big or small – have to disclose their sponsors, but then why are names of donors of electoral bonds being hidden? The SBI is playing the role of a middleman in this case,” the daily wrote.
AKHBAR-E-MASHRIQ
In its March 11 editorial, Kolkata based Akhbar-e-Mashriq dwells on the role of the Election Commission (EC) in a democracy in the wake of the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel from his post. “Just days before the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule, the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel from his post took everyone by surprise. No reason has been given so far. Important to note here is the fact that the copy of his resignation has not been provided to Rajiv Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner. What is even more surprising is that Goel was scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir on March 12 to take stock of the preparations for the Assembly elections,” the daily noted.
This is for the first time since 1993 that the EC has only one member, the editorial noted. “Last year, Parliament passed a bill for appointing CEC and Election Commissioners, giving sweeping power to the government. The Selection Committee will consist of the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet minister, and Leader of Opposition or the leader of the largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha. The Opposition parties had raised objections, highlighting that the new law would undermine the EC’s independence,” the daily wrote.
INVESTIGATION
Writing about the BJP’s alliance with the TDP and the Jana Sena Party (JSP) in Andhra Pradesh, Investigate struck a note of caution for Chandrababu Naidu. The Hyderabad-based daily wrote that the BJP targets its alliance partners once it establishes its base in the states. “The BJP has finally sealed a deal with Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Pawan Kalyan’s JSP. Well aware of its defeat in the southern state of Karnataka in the Assembly elections, the BJP managed to bring the two regional parties in Andhra Pradesh under its fold,” the daily stated.
“Though the BJP has tried to establish its footprints in Telangana – though unsuccessfully – it needed the help of regional parties in Andhra Pradesh as it seeks to win the third successive mandate at the Centre,” the editorial said. It noted that the move will alienate the TDP’s minority voters. “During its earlier stint under the NDA, the minority community had shunned the TDP. To gain ground in the southern states, the BJP has entered into an alliance with the TDP and JSP.” the edit added.
