Following the surgical strikes by the Indian military across the Line of Control (LOC) at Pakistan’s terror launch pads, all political parties had closed ranks and supported the Government’s retaliation to Uri and Pathankot by abandoning the non-committal Strategic Restraint Policy followed by India for decades. India did not wish to trigger a nuclear war since Pakistan has repeatedly asserted that it has nuclear strike capability. This restraint was perceived by the enemy country to be a sign of India’s weakness. And that perception gained currency since India chose not to retaliate despite repeated attacks by Pakistan-trained terrorists on its soil, the most outrageous one being the one at Mumbai in November 26, 2008.
The recent surgical strike was a tactical move to show Pakistan that India is capable of hitting back. Ironically, discordant voices from the political class on the authenticity of the strike and their demand to make the video clips of the strike public, only casts aspersions on the claims of our armed forces. Even on issues of national interest, political parties are incapable of transcending their narrow political interests. If Pakistan has cast aspersions on the genuineness of the surgical strikes, we can toss the statement aside for that is natural coming from an enemy country. But when the discordant notes come from within, then it is time for the people of this country to carefully reflect on the ideologies of the parties they vote to power. Congress Vice President, Rahul Gandhi, known to be somewhat of a loose cannon has accused Prime Minister Modi of making political capital out of the recent surgical strikes. The Gandhi scion used the pejorative Hindi word “Dalali” meaning trader or merchant to define Modi. This, despite the Prime Minister’s call to his cabinet colleagues to refrain from chest-thumping over the surgical strikes! Clearly, there is in this country today a tendency to play politics even with as serious an issue as national security. This has dimmed the unanimous applause given to the armed forces for avenging the 18 deaths at Uri and before that at Pathankot. Alas! No one in the Congress has the courage of conviction to rein in their crown prince!