Leaders of India and Pakistan take shelter under their national flags in pursuit of a favorable narrative following the ceasefire.
In the aftermath of a ceasefire, India and Pakistan have managed to dodge a disastrous head-on collision, yet the turmoil of nationalism sparked by the four-day skirmish continues to surge on both sides of the partition line. Now, leaders of these countries are working diligently to cash in on a political windfall generated from the May confrontation, with both sides boasting victories to their respective citizens, who are hypersensitive to triumphalist tales when India and Pakistan lock horns.
"It's all about riling up the national sentiment on both sides," remarks Ajay Darshan Behera, professor at the Academy of International Studies at Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is making a determined effort to capitalize on Operation Sindoor, the military response to a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 civilians on April 22. The BJP has pinned the blame squarely on Pakistan for supporting these militants, a charge Islamabad flatly denies.
With a line-up of state polls scheduled later this year, the BJP is counting on a surge in public support for their party. They have been promoting the narrative that their administration, under the command of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had the audacity to challenge a red line by targeting what they deem as "terrorist infrastructure" within Pakistani soil.
The BJP is employing several tactics to bolster public sentiment, such as showcasing Modi as a strong and resolute leader who had the power to authorize strikes deep into enemy territory. In addition to this, they have been portraying Modi in military garb like IAF fighter pilot uniforms in public spaces such as billboards and railway tickets to reinforce his representation as a powerful leader who delivered victory.
Moreover, the BJP has been crafting a narrative that emphasizes India's military capabilities and willingness to engage with a nuclear-armed neighbor, which helps counter opposition criticism and maintain public support for the party's aggressive stance on national security. The ceasefire is also being spun as a tactical de-escalation, suggesting that Pakistan was the one that bore the brunt of "heavy losses" during the conflict.
Finally, the BJP is utilizing these narratives as campaign tools by invoking national security and the party's commitment to defending India's interests to appeal to voters who value strong national defense and support assertive foreign policy. The BJP has also formed all-party delegations to explain India's stance on cross-border terrorism and military strikes, enabling them to present a unified national front while confronting opposition criticisms head-on.
To sum up, the BJP's strategy revolves around portraying strength, rationalizing military actions, and capitalizing on these narratives to galvanize electoral backing by portraying themselves as the champions of national security.
- Amidst the ongoing political discourse, discussions about war-and-conflicts and military actions, such as Operation Sindoor, have become a significant aspect of general news, with the ruling BJP in India leveraging these for their political gains.
- As crime-and-justice issues pertaining to militancy and terrorism continue to create political unrest between India and Pakistan, the BJP has been focusing on politics, employing strategies that portray them as assertive leaders, ready to engage in military confrontation when necessary, as a means to secure public support.
