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Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reportedly cautioned his Cabinet colleagues against “chest thumping” over the Army’s surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), the Opposition asserted that the BJP was doing precisely that to “politically exploit” the situation.
From National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a number of opposition leaders tweeted pictures of banners and posters that have come up in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and depict Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the strongman who taught Pakistan a lesson.
“ Ham tumhen marenge aur zaroor marenge (We will definitely kill you),” said a poster with an image of Modi waving his fist.
On Twitter, Abdullah wrote, alongside a copy of the picture: “And some people will lecture others about politicising the Army action all the while turning a blind eye to hoardings like these that sprout.”
He went on to underline, “No reward for guessing that this one is in UP. For the BJP and sections of the shouting brigade, it’s always about do as we say don’t do as we do!”
Arvind Kejriwal too retweeted these images with a couplet by poet Rahat Indori who had famously said: “ Sarhadon par bahut tanav hai kya. Kuchch pata to karo teen rajyon mein chunav hain kya (If there tension on the border, do find out if elections are imminent)”.
The Congress, in the meantime, has already said that the BJP is extracting political capital out of the surgical strikes. While the principal Opposition party gave examples of its own restraint when similar strikes were carried out on September 2011, July 2013 and January 2014, it underlined that the “publicising” of the strikes has a political motive.
“We urge upon the government to stop politicising the sacrifices and bravery of Indian soldiers for myopic political gains,” a Congress statement said. Party leader and former Union Minister RPN Singh told the media on Wednesday that while the BJP is accusing the Opposition of “politicising” the strikes, it was the ruling party that was using the issue for “myopic political gains”.
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