From the Urdu Press: ‘Rahul debut as LoP firebrand rattled govt’, ‘row over new criminal laws shows govt still won’t listen to Opp’

In a continuation of the fiercely fought Lok Sabha polls, the first Session of the new Lok Sabha has got off to sparks flying between the Treasury and Opposition Benches in both Houses of Parliament. The Urdu dailies turned the spotlight on the fiery debates in Parliament, framing them as a contest of views and ideas between a coalition government and a resurgent Opposition bloc, seeing it as the hallmark of a vibrant and raucous democracy.

Highlighting Rahul Gandhi’s maiden speech as Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the new Lok Sabha while participating in the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its leader on July 2, writes that Rahul’s speech heralded the arrival of the Opposition in Parliament after 10 years. “Democracy was seen at work in the House, where the Opposition stood up to the government, questioning it on a range of public issues to seek its accountability, which was reflected in Rahul’s compelling one-hour-40-minute-long speech,” the editorial states, adding that it forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with half-a-dozen senior Cabinet ministers to interject multiple times. This was rare that PM Modi had to intervene to counter his rival’s remarks, which betrayed the BJP’s current standing, it says.

“Rahul tried to define the country’s secularism encompassing all religions, citing non-violence, truth and fearlessness as its essence. He accused the BJP of spreading hate and fear, alleging that it has been misrepresenting Hindus. It prompted a blowback from the BJP, but Rahul stood his ground, asserting that the BJP and the RSS are not the entire Hindu community,” the daily says, claiming that Rahul’s debut as the voice of the entire Opposition “rattled” the