The Opposition is digging a grave so deep that it can stay inside it for 10 years easily

The opposition parties including Congress, TMC and others have attacked the government over the Balakot airstrikes claiming that the Union Government has pushed the nation on the verge of a war. In their bid to defeat the BJP in the perception war, the opposition parties have hurt themselves the most. These ‘peaceniks’ seem to have read the situation very wrongly.

What the opposition parties seem to be missing is that the hatred for nation is confined to a handful of ‘elites’ in urban India while most of India is overwhelmingly patriotic, the nationalistic fervor only intensified after the atrocious attack in Pulwama, which took the lives of more than 40 CRPF personnel. Pakistan remains an extremely emotive issue for India and opposition by toeing Pakistan’s line is digging a grave so deep that it can stay inside it for 10 years easily.

Although corruption was the biggest issue in the run-up to the 2014 general election, internal and external security were very important issues too. UPA’s dismal performance as far as the security in the nation is concerned helped Modi launch an all out attack against them. PM Modi has scored ‘a home run’ on the security front. Successful resolution of the Doklam standoff, two surgical strikes in Myanmar, a daring cross-border surgical strike after the dastardly Uri attack and now the air-strike in Balakot clearly portray the attitude of the Modi government. The Congress party and rest of the opposition praised the Air Force but refrained from praising the government for its firm political will to give a free hand and backing to the Armed Forces.

NDA save a few exceptions came out and boasted about the actions taken by the IAF. It was the opposition who started the whole agenda politics out of the strikes. PM Modi didn’t sell this as an achievement, as he was well aware that the opposition to give it all away. And the opposition, being in a real hurry, took the bait and went on shouting from rooftops about ‘proofs’.

Not only that, various Pakistani media channels and diplomats targeted India, citing the statements and tweets of leaders of opposition parties. Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tweeted a speech by Congress spokesperson, Manish Tewari in order to target PM Modi and spread anti-India propaganda on the issue of Kashmir.

Not just Manish Tewari, several other opposition leaders like Kapil Sibal, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Digvijaya Singh, Arvind Kejriwal raised doubts and questioned the IAF airstrikes. Congress leaders like Navjot Singh Sidhu and Digvijaya Singh shamelessly politicised the Balakot airstrikes. While Digvijaya asked for the proof of the success of airstrikes carried out by the IAF, Navjot Singh Sidhu went a step further in politicising the grave issue and suggested that the airstrikes were unsuccessful and a mere election gimmick. Kapil Sibal was not far behind. He clearly made an attempt at politicising India’s fight against terror. 

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid undermined the IAF and insulted the brave pilot. He rushed to give credit to UPA government for Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s bravery.

Mamata Banerjee touched a new low even by her own dubious political standards when she expressed doubt over the results of the ferocious airstrikes that the IAF carried out in Pakistan. The West Bengal Chief Minister said, “We want to know what really happened. National TV channels were showing that 300 to 350 people were killed, but international media is reporting that no such thing happened, that the bomb missed its target and no one died! So what is the truth? Where did they drop the bomb? Was it dropped at the right target?” 

According to reports, the TMC IT cell and social media brigade is working overtime to translate and disseminate anti-India reports and lies peddled by international media and specifically Pakistani media. Following Mamata’s footstep, TMC MP Derek O’Brien too tweeted, “Twenty years from now when people ask my generation of politicians ‘what were you doing when most in the TV media were dishing out irresponsible tripe’ what would I say: we tweeted about it ? No. We can’t let this happen. Mamata Banerjee is asking the direct questions. We must too.”

It is absolutely shameful that at a time when Congress should stand firmly with India, it is making unnecessary political remarks and giving fodder to Pakistan. In what displays the opportunistic and irresponsible character of the Congress, it went even on to make highly objectionable remarks about India’s participation in the OIC foreign ministers’ meet.

In the last 10 days, PM Modi has simply spun the narrative and unveiled the true face of many. Modi has made it easy for the citizens of the country to see who is on the nation’s side and who is on the side of the enemy. And while doing so he has also taken an unassailable lead over the opposition parties.