But it’s kind of odd that the opposition wants to question the IAF strikes and lay itself open to charges of “talking like Pakistan.” Will such a strategy help the opposition in the general elections? The politicization of Balakote for general elections 2019 has begun in right earnest and the BJP looks all militarized! Post-Pulwama, Balakote and #WelcomeToAbhinandan, everybody in the ruling party, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi down, is dressed up for the kill.

Modi opens an arms factory in Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency Amethi and posters showing Modi holding a ‘Made in Amethi’ AK-203 rifle appear on walls all over Gujarat. Simultaneously, Amit Shah says the death toll in the Balakote strikes was “250” and goads the Congress to ask “anti-national questions.” The Congress wants to know where did Shah get the “number” from; who told him and if Shah could be told, why not the opposition?

Appears like the Prime Minister is not taking seriously the demand that he call an all-party meet and brief the opposition on the pre-emptive strikes. But why should he? It goes without saying that keeping the opposition at bay, raising doubts and asking all manner of Balakote-questions, helps the BJP keep Balakote alive and an election issue. Modi and Shah are banking on a divided electorate to corner majority; and the opposition’s reactions to Balakote helps them paint the opposition as “anti-national”, which serves that purpose eminently.

At another level, the sustained opposition questioning on Balakote seems to have unnerved the Modi government. Air Chief BS Dhanoa was most probably fielded to answer some of the “doubts” expressed. Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu calls Balakote a “poll gimmick” and “deceit in the guise of fighting enemy” and Dhanoa “confirms” that the “operations are still ongoing”; that it’s not the air force’s job “to count bodies”, it is the government’s job to state the number of kills.

Dhanoa makes it clear that the Indian Air Force’s job is to hit targets and “targets were hit.” Dhanoa also jettisons claims that putting Mig 21s into action was a mistake, saying all assets in the “IAF’s inventory” are used in such situations. So, according to Dhanoa, the “operations” are still ongoing and that helps the BJP keep the nation on the edge of the seat, keep Balakote alive and ticking as an election issue till as long as the Modi government doesn’t come out and say that India is de-escalating or has, in fact, de-escalated.

Don’t forget Modi has two more service chiefs to field, the army and naval chiefs, to answer to more “doubts.” He can unleash them on the electorate and the opposition anytime during the run-up to GE 2019 and turn the electoral tide in the BJP’s favour. Seems like the only opposition leader who has caught on to the BJP’s game is Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Capt. Amrinder Singh, who has taken care to be on the side of the armed forces despite all the muck raised by minister in his cabinet Navjot Singh Sidhu. Shouldn’t Rahul Gandhi be taking a cue from the Captain and correcting course?

Apparently, there is no such Congress move to course correct. The Congress is working according to a given strategy and with other opposition leaders, from Mamata Banerjee to Arvind Kejriwal, punching holes in Modi’s Balakote claims, the Congress does not want to caught in no-man’s land; seen to be siding with, of all the parties, the BJP! Is the Congress falling in a BJP trap?

During all this, Pakistan is going all out to corner to itself the peace paragon mantle with not a little help from international media. Imran Khan has said ‘No’ to the Nobel Peace Prize as if the Nobel Prize Committee called him the night before and made him the offer! And not to be left behind, the Pakistan Army has also turned peacenik! Pakistani spokespersons are appearing on international media saying that Gen Qamar Bajwa has been reaching out to India “using back channels” to call for de-escalation, a “process which will gather momentum post-India elections.” Looks like everybody, this and that side of the border, is waiting for GE 2019 to throw a winner. (IPA Service)