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| Surgical Strike 2 in Pakistan and 2019 general elections | | Opinion divided | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 8: It is clear that India's Surgical Strike 2 deep-inside Pakistan at Balakot on February 26 will be one of the key narratives in the crucial 2019 general election campaign. The politicization has already happened from all sides. Parties, including the Congress, the SP, the BSP, the TMC, the NCP, the AAP, the CPI-M, the NC and the PDP, are feeling rattled. They have come to believe that the Modi government's "robust counter to terrorism emanating from across the borders" could help the BJP-led NDA in a big way. That's the reason all these parties have been trying their best to downplay the otherwise bold air strikes in Pakistan and across LoC by raising "issues of credibility".
The BJP and its allies like Shiv Sena have also recognized the potential the successful air strikes. They have made it an election issue for all practical purposes. They have been talking about the Surgical Strike 2 almost daily, everywhere and all suitable occasions.
The Congress and other "secular" parties are questioning the very efficacy of the air strikes and asking the BJP-led NDA government to tell what the "air strikes destroyed in Pakistan" and "how many terrorists these strikes killed at Balakot?" The air strikes had targeted the terror-training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad with media report and top persons in the BJP and the government claiming that the air strikes were 100 per cent successful; that the strikes left 200 to 250 to even over 300 persons dead; and that the air strikes devastated the terror-training camp.
But not one opposition political party is giving any credence to the BJP's claims and even the media report. The fact of the matter is that the Congress and other political parties are quoting some foreign news agencies to reject the claims of the Modi government.
These claims and counter-claims have electrified the political scene of the country. Serious political observers, commentators and India-watchers have suggested that the controversy over air strikes will "hurt the opposition and benefit the BJP". At the same time, there are some who are saying that "Vajpyee had lost the 2004 general elections despite the fact that he had won the 1999 Kargil war against Pakistan". |
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