So, what is Modi and his ‘bhakts’ gloating about? It’s good for India that sanctions have been placed on Azhar and Pakistan will be forced to treat him like he’s the late Osama bin Laden’s first cousin. Then, again, even if he wouldn’t be able to take a flight out, he is free to travel all over and around Pakistan to carry out his recruitment drives to reorient young minds to kill Indians.

How can India’s borders be strengthened by a re-designation from regional to global terrorist? It has to do with sanctions that will hit terror finances to JeM, and the travel ban on Azhar and arms ban on the terror outfit. But the feeling many ordinary folks get is that secretly Azhar Masood must be thrilled. At last, he’s on par with Lashkar-e-Taiba boss Hafiz Saeed who was designated ‘global terrorist’ years ago. In Pakistan, a global terrorist has a standing and is a distinguished member of society.

Osama bin Laden was given home and hearth by the military establishment of Pakistan. “International terrorist” and India’s ‘Most Wanted’ Dawood Ibrahim lives in plain sight in Karachi and not even ‘Majboot Modi’ could take him out though he has gone on in age and has some grave health issues that might put him in the grave.

Fact of the matter is, Modi cannot take full credit for the designation of Azhar Masood a global terrorist.But will it help the BJP among the people, the electorate? It depends where. Rajasthan it will, to an extent. Punjab also. In Uttar Pradesh in pockets but those pockets have mostly all voted in the earlier phases.

In Varanasi and other eastern UP constituencies, it’s the ‘Tej Bahadur factor’ which the BJP has to fight. Tej Bahadur is the BSF jawan who had raised a ruckus over the poor quality of food ladled out to jawans in BSF barracks and on the frontline and had to lose his job for the trouble. Bahadur filed nomination from Varanasi but his papers were rejected turning him into an instant hero!

But if Modi’s election issue ‘national security’ is on a weakened plank, the Congress and the SP-BSP-RLD combine are not helping themselves when they are fighting each other on which of them fields the stronger candidates against the BJP. Priyanka Gandhi started the war of words by saying that “weak” Congress candidates will cut into the BJP vote share and it would not affect the gathbandhan’s chances!

SP and BSP leaders did not break out in smiles at this facile explanation; Akhilesh Yadav hit back by saying that no party fielded weak candidates. Rahul Gandhi shot back with “Akhilesh and Mayawati are under Modi’s thumbs, I’m the one person who cannot be intimidated by the BJP”. Mayawati added her voice to the din with “what was the Congress Mukhiya doing hugging Modi in Parliament?”

Suffice to say Cyclone Fani is not the only storm brewing in the country. The seven phase-elections has stretched the imagination and if after the third-phase, and the Modi Roadshow in Varanasi, there was the feeling that Modi was on top, especially after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra “chickened” out from contesting against Modi and opposition leaders went all out against the EVM, the perception since then has shifted to a more even keel.

There are those who insist that Azhar Masood’s designation as a global terrorist is a victory for India and by that token victory for Modi which will convert to votes for the BJP. But a slew of recent videos posted on Social Media predict a Modi debacle. The reality is in the current state of flux, it is difficult to say which party/alliance will win May 23. And it does not matter at this stage if China has relented on Azhar Masood. It’s Priyanka Gandhi’s designation of the Congress as the “Katua Party” which is the talk of the town! (IPA Service)