Shiban Khaibri
A metaphor of “Jatayu” as a counter terrorist, Prime MinisterModi referred to Ramayana to show that the land of India had even the giant vultures intolerant to acts of terror and from Yudh or the war to the Budh or the peace,India believed that when circumstances warranted, a war could be perceived as inevitable. He dwelt upon the immediate threat to global peace and the humanity in the form of terrorism and made the resolve known that both the terror and its sponsors would not be spared while speaking on the auspicious occasion of Vijay Dashmi in Lucknow. That he gave a clarion call for the multinational effort against terror and spoke simultaneously on eradication of social evils , discrimination on grounds of gender, caste , etc; and spoke on important and urgent issues , it frustrated, silenced and stunned the select brand of his avowed critics in the opposition Parties by not thinking it worth to reply to their unsubstantiated and exaggerated hullabaloo , let alone rebut , challenge and blast, the hypothetical and imaginary surmises about the sensitive issue of surgical strikes conducted by our lion hearted brave Jawans deep into the PoK terror camps. All their plans to “engage” the PM in a protracted chain of accusations, clarifications followed by charges and counter charges, lies and the responses to them and in the meantime, bring in issues quite irrelevant and redundant in the silly discourses, went flat as ModiJi perhaps gave no importance to their brand of priorities at a time when we needed concerns more for the country rather than for the votes. That, however, does not mean that votes and their importance in our democratic set up could be relegated to far away background.
Is the Prime minister of the country subservient to the whims and wishes of the opposition Parties (select ones) to seek their approval first to obtain acquiesce to his desire to participate in such ancient religo- cultural occasions, second as to where in the country he should participate and last but not the least as to what he should speak? Should he not speak about what meets his eye, what attracts his attention and what is prioritized by national and international developments needs to be dived deep into, so that the real motive of such parties in the opposition is known.
Why should he choose to visit Lucknow? Why has he chosen this time and occasion? Has he decided to kick start the election campaign for UP elections due early next year? Is he going there to cash upon the bold decision of ordering surgical strikes against Pakistan and taking the entire credit of strikes to the detriment of the electoral prospects of the select opposition parties? Is he going to boost up the alleged jingoism on the strikes to garner votes as theyhave had nothing of the sort to their credit? What if the caution of Modi to his Ministers in the cabinet to avoid chest thumping on the strikes was not heeded to by them? These questions were debated by these opposition parties on TV Channels, through press briefings, in public meetings and otherwise in full measure as if any answer in affirmative to any of these fears was going to break skies of political future of these parties into shreds. The reason to denounce his visit to Lucknow by his sworn opponents as a blatantly political exercise ahead of the UP elections stems from their fear of the repetition of their performance at the polls like that of 2014 elections for the LokSabha.Nothing less, nothing more. The staying away by the UP CMAkhileshYadav from the function and not sharing the daiswith the country’s PM speaks in volumes about the “political ostracism” against Modi even when he, otherwise, is the most powerful person in the country. This does not auger well and has larger ramifications.
But he did not oblige them, not because he felt it to be taken the way opponents floated the hype of fears but he perhaps had decided to select the time, occasion and the way he liked and presently by not referring to UP elections , nor to surgical strikes , not a word even , he silenced the opponents and proved them wrong as also biased before the people. His appeal for humanity to unite to fight terror on an occasion when he was present at the ritual of glorifying the truth and the good and bringing the might of the evil crumbling down to dust was reminiscent of the resolve of India , “not to spare those who support terror”. The type of politics which his opponents were in dire need of to have from him,got nothing of the sort.The focus was on terrorism. The uncivilized jibe of Dalali and other showers of accusations on him were proved uncalled for, laced with innuendoes and without any justification.
He did not take the Congress for task for post 26/11 inaction in the sense not mustering courage to order such strikes against Pakistan when the situation so urgently warranted.He, like a matured statesman instead said that the attack forcedthe world to unite against terror and take note of its severity. Yes, he put the cheap politics on surgical strikes to an end indulging in no triumphalism, not in the least, he proved that he was above the littleness of what his opponents were engaged in. It was Lucknow itself from where Modi silenced the opposition that had scripted and anticipated the lines on which he was expected to speak and react to surgical strikes controversies. They were further silenced by his staking no claim, absolutely not for any political credit on it ,not even making a mention thereof even once and that also casually. Why – the people know it now adequately.
The need of the hour was to expose those political parties and leaders who opposed the hanging of AfzalGuroo, those intellectuals, writers, liberals and votaries of reaching out to ultras and Pakistani people who defended 1993 Mumbai blasts convict YaqoobMenon.Yet these people claim that they too are Indians. Yet these people and leaders call themselves as patriots. The criminal and satanic mind set “scholars” calling themselves as poor even after getting scholarships and freebies in JNU can torch the effigies of the PM on Dusshera , and be appreciated and endorsed by Congress as exercising “their rights” speaks the lower levels of politics in the country. Modi and his team are pilloried as a routine simply because people voted them to power. The more the country’s fame and prestige, more the development and strengthening of the economy, under the present dispensation, the more frustration and political insecurity there in the select opposition ranks as that would put brakes to any of the chances of the UPA and other Fronts and Alliances to “grab” New Delhi in 2019. Little wonder Rahul Gandhi uses the word “Dalal” and “Khoon” and Surjewala , the other Congress leader saying, “Parrikaraur BJP ko Chalu Bhar Paani Main Doob Marna Chahiye”. Remember these loose tongued democrats that 1947, 1965, 1971 were not surgical strikes as wars were thrust on us and we had to fight, a two way walk. And for 1971 liberation of Bangladesh, credit was taken by Indira Ji herself and got in abundance from others as also the national award. Why, at that time also the army did it all, why this time it is different? Indira Ji took a bold decision and the army followed. Likewise, army did the best this time also only when Modi took the decision.Why this aching and excruciating pain? Why to paint the performance and the spirit of the guts to take bold decision by Modi as something like “insult to army “?
Is it known that perhaps seeing that there was enough pro Pakistan lobby, if not force, within India that a mission of “Target Modi Break India” was recently launched by Pakistan under the “aegis” of Khwaja Mohamad Asif and Sartaj Aziz both cabinet Ministers in Nawaz Sharif’s government? A secret note prepared by the Pakistani senate is reported to be political version of “Topac”.The strategy of this mission comprising of 13 groups is to prepare propaganda campaign, target Modi, focus on hyped and imaginary minority rights’ abuses, create sections, create anti Modi groups, and extend support to Maoist and Naxal groups including heightened support to terror groups earmarked for Kashmir. The “Think Tank” includes members like Lt.Gen. Abdul Qayum, IllyasBilawar, Muzzafar Hassan Shah, Syed Tahir, Mushahid Shah, FarrhatKhan, and a few others. And we have enough peace nicks crying hoarse for dialogue with Pakistan. We have people here making cheap clamorous noises (and even objections) against surgical strikes and filling headlines of Pakistani print and electronic media headlines, doing the job of Pakistan. What a tragedy ?
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