With Operation Sindoor, India displayed a level of sophistication that would be the envy of even the developed nations. It shows how the nation has developed in areas that are usually not under public scrutiny. However, the aspiring nation faces a serious challenge – the quality of its everyday politicians who exercise power at various levels in the system! Just the response of this category of ‘leader’ to the Operation Sindoor reveals how they live in another age and mindset.
A BJP minister in Madhya Pradesh, Vijay Shah, in attempting to praise the military, ended up describing Army spokesperson Colonel Sophia Qureshi in disparaging terms. He was seeking to humiliate Pakistan but could not articulate the sentiment in acceptable terms. What is important to note is that he is an eight-time MLA from his constituency and an important leader of the ST community. If the BJP takes stringent action against him, as is being demanded by opposition parties, it risks losing support among the Scheduled Tribes, which otherwise tend to favour the Congress in the state. The question that emerges is: Why does such a senior leader lack the ability to articulate his point of view properly without embarrassing his party and his constituents? Focused on Col Qureshi’s religious background, he was trying to convey that India’s Muslims stood solidly with their country against Pakistan but used the wrong analogy.
Similarly, as always, a Samajwadi Party leader was not one to be left behind. Rajya Sabha Member and senior SP leader Ramgopal Yadav focused on caste. He declared that BJP leaders would have been just as ‘disrespectful’ about the other military spokespersons if they had known what castes they belonged to. (He would find it hard to explain how they were in such senior positions without reservations!)
It is a good thing that the Armed Forces are, by and large, distanced from interaction with this political culture that is so focused on community and caste. It does bring to light, however, the kind of biased thinking that prevails in grassroots politics and how much it must be damaging important decision-making processes. These incidents should awaken the voters – particularly the youth who will witness India’s future – to the harm caused by such extreme exercise of political ideologies. The political leadership too should be well-versed in India’s constitutional principles and as good at their job as the military has shown itself to be! Only then can India build on its successes in all fields of endeavour.
