The polite interactions between former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the new incumbent Keir Starmer following the election results were praised by all. In a highly polarised political environment in the US, the coming together of public opinion condemning the attempted assassination of Donald Trump surprised the world. Both, President Biden and Trump ratcheted down the rhetoric to present a united front against ‘violence in the public realm’. It was made clear that this was not the time for politics.
Unfortunately, despite the depth of its democratic culture, India’s politicians seem to lack this basic understanding. After the Doda attack by cross-border terrorists that led to the death of five security personnel, it was the time to show solidarity. Instead, it triggered an immediate blame-game that descended to targeting the BJP, J&K’s Lt Governor and the UT’s DGP. They could have waited a day.
While the bitterness of J&K’s traditionally dominant and presently side-lined parties can be understood, the response from ‘Leader of the Opposition’ Rahul Gandhi can at best be described as immature. It should have been ensured that in no way his statement be interpreted as laying the blame on anybody other than the perpetrators. It should not seem as though he is exonerating the terrorists in any way. It will be recalled that he had offered similar justification when a couple of men had violated the sanctity of the Lok Sabha. It may be that the policy makers of the Congress such as Jairam Ramesh believe that increased political polarisation has benefited the party in the polls, but there is a line that cannot be crossed. This is the sophistication of approach that is lacking.
Casting blame on the government in security matters be it incidents like the one in Galwan or J&K, should not provide any justification to China or Pakistan. They cannot be given the opportunity to claim that the Congress agrees with them. Having been in power for so long, does not the Congress know that the government cannot be expected to reveal its strategy against India’s enemies? It must be understood that the designs of Pakistan and China are the result of their geo-political objectives. The situation in J&K is very complex and requires solutions at many levels. Pakistan may have been led to believe that the Indian Government, at present, is weak, thus the provocations. Perhaps, it is time to, once again, cross the border and dispel these notions.
