But unfortunately, the ruling party the BJP and the senior ministers including the Prime Minister, instead of taking a holistic approach to meet the crisis, have been politicizing the issue and diverting the people’s attention to suit their interests for the coming Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister, as the head of the government is talking of revenge not in the language of a statesman who has to navigate this country at this crucial hour taking all sections of Indians with him. The PM has not given a call to his supporters to remain calm when throughout the country, the fanatics are attacking the Kashmiris and even a former West Bengal BJP president and now Governor Tathagata Roy is getting away with his tweet that all Kashmiris including their goods should be boycotted. As the constitutional head of his state, he has been given no strictures by the centre. Despite all reports about attacks on Kashmiri students, HRD Minister Prakash Javedker denies that anything such happened and as a result, no college or university will dare to take any protective measures to ensure security for Kashmiri students.

In the last one week, taking advantage of the sweep of nationalist sentiments, the central leadership of BJP has been able to arrive at alliance agreements with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. The Party negotiated from the position of strength and got the deal done. Both PM and the BJP President Amit Shah addressed election meetings and appealed for BJP led majority government after l Lok Sabha elections. All along, while the opposition parties including te Congress lay low, the BJP resorted to overdrive in pushing through its election strategy.

It is clear now that the Sangh Parivar will take full advantage of this Pulwama tragedy to polarize the electorate along nationalist and anti-national lines, coerce the muslims not to come to the polling booths and goading the common Hindu masses to vote for BJP promising that only a strong leader like Modi can lead the country to teach lessons to Pakistan. The rightwing trolls are already out, they are harassing anyone who has the guts to question the Kashmir policy of the Modi government. This terror atmosphere will continue if the opposition parties do not take counter campaign to put the issues in proper perspective. The BJP earlier looked for the Ayodhya issue to roll on and give them the ammo to arouse majoritarian feelings, but now, the Pulwama tragedy has given them more potent ammo and the Sangh Parivar ably aided by the Government at the centre, will make use of both the ammos till the Lok Sabha polling is over.

The Opposition parties led by te Congress should come out openly and question the Modi government on its Pakistan strategy. It can not be any particular Party strategy, it has to be the nation’s strategy and the opposition parties which have given the PM full support at the last meeting of the political parties, must now know what follow up the PM has done in the last seven days. The opposition parties are supposed to meet again on February 26 at Mohali. This should be a detailed meeting where all efforts have to be made to work out pre poll alliances in the states, wherever possible. The Congress and DMK have agreed for seat sharing in Tamil Nadu, but this has to be extended to the CPI and the CPI(M) also and that should be worked out in right earnest. Congress has to take the lead in forming alliances in Maharashtra, Jharkhand immediately and in Bihar, it should work out understanding with RJD and the Left. In Bihar, the CPI is entitled for three seats where it has substantial base and in Begusarai, if the student leader Kanhaiya Kumar stands as a candidate from the CPI, his victory is assured. In Assam also, the Congress has to look for allies.

In Uttar Pradesh, with Priyanka Gandhi at the helm of affairs in the state Congress, fresh negotiations can start with the SP-BSP alliance. The Congress has to take into account its state of organization. The Congress cannot fight alone even in alliance with smaller parties. All efforts will have to be made to arrive at a co0mposite understanding with SP-BSP. Even if the Congress agrees with ten seats out of 80, that will be a big thing in UP and the BJP will be swept away. This total alliance in UP among the anti-BJP parties is the surest guarantee to keep Modi out of power. The Congress president Rahul Gandhi has to assess the UP strategy from the overall national perspective and the ground reality of the present situation when there is a groundswell of antagonism against the muslims among the common Hindus and in UP, the BJP CM Adityanath will make all efforts to capitalize this. Only a united anti-BJP front can meet this challenge.

The February 26 meeting is supposed to discuss the common minimum programme of the proposed Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA) being drafted by Rahul Gandhi. The CMP should act as a game changer and it really should contain programmes which will inspire the underprivileged, unemployed, distressed farmers and the women. The CMP must have something which can have an electrifying effect on the majority of the Indian population. The CMP must contain innovative approach to deal with the Kashmir issue. From February 26 onwards, the opposition has to be on a mission 350 mode. Right now, the advantage with Modi is of temporary nature, once the opposition jumps in the campaign with firm alliance and pro people CMP, then double talk of the ruling leadership will be exposed. The West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was the first to question PM even after Pulwama tragedy. All the opposition parties have to jointly question him now. He cannot make use of Pulwama massacre for winning Lok Sabha election. (IPA Service)