Back to basics

Over two months after the Balakot airstrike, the hyper-nationalist pitch seems to be losing momentum midway through the Lok Sabha elections. The ruling party has been busy projecting the retaliatory action as the NDA government’s biggest achievement, even as its detractors have been lambasting it for trying to cash in on the soldiers’ sacrifices and heroics for electoral gains. The February 26 operation enabled the BJP to build its poll narrative around national security, with PM Narendra Modi himself saying that the country was safe only in his hands. For a while, the anti-Pakistan tirade diverted people’s attention from the government’s underwhelming performance during the past five years. Amid the euphoria, the crippling impact of demonetisation and the chaotic rollout of the GST regime virtually faded into oblivion. The subsequent de-escalation of hostilities, however, have deprived war-mongering of a sense of urgency and relevance.

The Balakot offensive may not turn out to be a trump card for the BJP, partly because no clear picture has emerged so far of what exactly happened there. Pakistan continues to claim, albeit unconvincingly, that there was ‘no damage’ in the airstrike, which was carried out by India less than two weeks after the Pulwama terror attack. The incorrigible neighbour has been repeatedly challenging India to come up with conclusive and credible evidence, but the response of the country’s military and political leadership has left a lot to be desired. ‘Security and confidentiality concerns’ have been cited for restricting the information shared in the public domain. It’s this lack of transparency that has given the Opposition as well as Pakistan the opportunity to raise doubts about the entire operation.

The undisputed truth should have been made public right away instead of banking on bluster and bombast. The sporadic efforts to nail Pakistan’s lies have dented the advantage gained by India through the aerial bombing. In recent weeks, the focus of the restless public has shifted to ever-important issues such as development, unemployment and farmers’ distress, which have a strong regional and local resonance. It’s back to the basics for the electorate. And no political party can afford to overlook this scenario.