Political war in India

 With tensions between India and Pakistan spiralling along the LoC, the rhetoric deployed by Indian political parties is also showing signs of escalation. Even if the firing along the LoC eventually ceases, it would seem that the rhetoric of who’s politicising the Pulwama and subsequent air strikes inside PoK would get hotter as elections draw near. There is little doubt that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will seek political mileage from the air strikes the Indian Air Force conducted in Pakistani territory on February 26 after the killing of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Jammu and Kashmir 12 days prior. This was confirmed by statements by senior BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister and the party president Amit Shah, soon after the Pulwama air strikes. The BJP leaders are already suggesting that the September 2016 surgical strikes across the Line of Control and last month’s air strikes under the BJP-led government are a marked departure from the policy followed by previous dispensations in dealing with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Modi made no effort to hide the fact that he and his government were taking political credit for the strikes. After the cry of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, Modi with folded hands, assured the crowd that India was in safe hands(under him). Playing with the huge emotions of the crowd, Modi vowed not to let India die nor stopped nor to bow its head. Next was BJP president Amit Shah who had told a gathering in Ghazipur that only Narendra Modi can give a “mooh tod jawab” (fitting reply) to Pakistan. He then went on to ask people to vote the Bharatiya Janata Party instead of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party- Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance in the upcoming general elections. Shah said the prime minister has sent a “message to the world” that the current government would “go to any extent” to protect the country. In Karnataka senior BJP leader Yeddyurappa stated that as a result of the airstrike, the BJP was guaranteed to win at least 22 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats from Karnataka. Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh criticised his party colleague BS Yeddyurappa the next day for claiming that the Indian air strikes on a terror camp in Pakistan have led to a “pro-Modi” wave in the country ahead of the elections. In his tweet, the former army chief wrote : “BS Yeddyurappa ji, I beg to differ. We stand as one nation, action taken by our government is to safeguard our nation [and] ensure safety of our citizens, not to win a few extra seats”. Whenever the opposition parties raised questions about politicisation of the strikes and for proof on casualties of the air strikes, the BJP deflected them by attacking the opposition for questioning the armed forces. BJP said that all parties should stand united for the nation and desist from “petty politics”. The BJP’s dichotomy in using the strikes to attract voters who may not be its core supporters but can swing to its side on matters of national security is clear. With negative economic trends, farmers in distress and loss of jobs, the BJP sorely needs to hype up war hysteria and hyper nationalism to have any hope in 2019. The joint statement by 21 opposition parties lauding the armed forces and criticising the BJP for politicising the action is an indication of such thinking in the anti-BJP camp.