From the Urdu Press: Kharge vs Tharoor and Rahul Yatra amid rain to PFI ban and KCR’s national party | Political Pulse News,The Indian Express
The cloud of uncertainty hanging over the Congress presidential election has cleared up with party veteran Mallikarjun Kharge set to have a smooth sailing, notes Akhbar-e-Mashriq
AKHBAR-E-MASHRIQ
In its editorial on October 2, the multi-edition Akhbar-e-Mashriq writes that a long spell of speculations over the Congress’s presidential election has finally come to an end with decks cleared now for a direct contest between veteran Dalit leader from Karnataka, Mallikarjun Kharge, and the three-term Thiruvananthapuram MP, Shashi Tharoor, for the top party post. “The developments in the Congress camp in the lead-up to the October 17 presidential poll have been dramatic so far. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was the Congress high command’s first choice for presidency, but he chose to bow out of the fray, following which AICC general secretary K C Venugopal met Kharge and convinced him to contest the poll,” it says, adding that the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the election has cleared up now with the 80-year-old former Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha set to have a smooth sailing.
The daily points out that Sonia Gandhi, who took over the Congress president’s position from Sitaram Kesri in 1998, has been serving in the post continuously until now barring 2017-19 when she handed over the mantle to her son Rahul Gandhi. It states that the Gandhi family has claimed that it will remain “neutral” in the Congress presidential contest. “None of the Gandhi family members was present when Kharge filed his nomination propers. And yet they are with him, making his victory certain. Senior Congress leaders like A K Antony and Ambika Soni have also supported him,” the edit says. Digvijay Singh, who was seeking to throw his hat in the presidential ring some days ago, also decided to exit the race in favour of Kharge’s bid, it notes. “Even the G-23 group of dissidents has come out in support of Kharge, with its leaders including Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Hooda and Prithviraj Chavan declaring their backing for his candidature…The stage is set for the grand old party to get an elected regular president now.”
SIASAT
Commenting on the Centre’s move to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliates for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for their alleged links with terror activities, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its editorial on September 30, writes that the PFI has claimed that its involvement in any terror act could not be proved and that “an atmosphere against the organisation had been built up through certain pawns with some middlemen playing a key role in paving the way for the government to proscribe it”. The daily says that if any organisation is really involved in terror activities, then it cannot be allowed to operate. “The crackdown on any outfit or entity will be legitimate if it is involved in bloodletting or terror acts harming the stability of the country,” it states. As regards the PFI, the investigative agencies have flagged their reports and analysis, but no evidence or court’s decision has come up so far that could conclusively link the PFI with terror, the edit says. Referring to reports claiming that the government consulted certain Muslim organisations before moving to outlaw the PFI, it says such details should be made public so that the questions in the mind of the Muslim community could be answered.
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