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Jitendra K Shrivastava
Can the Balakot airstrike swing the narrative in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in favour of NDA in Bihar?
Largely, soldiers come from simple and downtrodden families from remote villages, where the sense of patriotism is very strong. Following Pulwama, they were angry, hurt and wanted some punitive action. The Balakot airstrike was the revenge they wanted, so the patriotic sentiment is very high at the moment. But the people won’t like it if the issue is politicised for electoral gains, which the BJP is doing. It’s impossible to translate patriotic sentiments into political gains.
Why do you think the BJP-led NDA is doing politics over the Pulwama terrorist attacks?
The Modi government made several promises like creating jobs, bringing back black money, etc., but failed to keep them. It has failed on every front and, in desperation, is using the Pulwama incident for electoral gains. Modi is trying to return to power using three-pronged policy — one, by destroying communal harmony; two, the Ram temple issue; and three, by whipping up the anti-Pakistan hysteria. Since the first two didn’t work, he has turned to the third option now, but he won’t succeed.
Isn’t the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman India’s diplomatic victory over Pakistan?
Pakistan released Abhinandan as it was supposed to act in compliance with the Geneva Convention. If the Modi government projects it as its diplomatic win, it shows it wants to take political mileage. The Opposition comprising 21 parties had extended support to the Modi government to avenge the Pulwama attack, not to play politics over it. Now as they have claimed that 300 terrorists were killed in the airstrike, they must prove it, or at least show that Pakistan incurred a substantial loss.
Can the Opposition stop NDA from taking political mileage out of the airstrike?
Post the airstrike, the patriotic sentiment is undoubtedly high. But that doesn’t mean people will favour or support Modi. With time, normalcy will return and the developmental issues will be back on the table, where Modi has failed. We will expose the gimmicks of the NDA Government, and ask people to reject it.
Have you visited the families of the Pulwama martyrs?
No, it’s not imperative that I meet the families of martyrs all the time. Our other leaders have gone to see them. We see them to lessen their pain, and not for politics.
Will Pulwama be an election issue in the Lok Sabha elections?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an eloquent speaker and people pay attention to what he says. He will strive hard to make Pulwama an election issue and exact political mileage. But voters are intelligent enough to pour cold water on his ambitious politics.
— Jitendra K Shrivastava
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