Immediately after the UN listed Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the previous Congress-led UPA government for its prevarication and sloppy approach.
PM Modi wasted no time in claiming credit for the diplomatic win in his election speech in Rajasthan. And by doing so, he gave the BJP’s campaign on national security a big push in this high-pitched Lok Sabha battle.
Only the politically naïve would expect an ace campaigner like Modi to keep quiet on a win as big as this or wish that he starts thanking everyone, starting with the first Prime Minister of India, for what the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has done in 2019.
Also read: Can Modi govt gloat over Masood Azhar when it has failed to tackle Maoist terror in India?
Barking up the wrong tree
Some leaders in the opposition, however, seem to be barking up the wrong tree by linking the timing of the UN decision to the Lok Sabha elections.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Before Wednesday’s big announcement on Masood Azhar, the UNSC 1267 sanctions committee had last met on 23 April when China wanted more time to decide on the designation.
This holding off process reportedly brought Beijing in direct confrontation with the US, which insisted on an immediate resolution of the declaration. The procedural ‘silence period’, when member countries can raise objections, ended on 1 May. With no objections being raised during this period, the UNSC sanctions committee listed Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
Instead of wholeheartedly backing the BJP government for successfully pushing through a long-standing demand at the UN, the opposition has been busy picking holes with the listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
Also read: Masood Azhar just a proxy, India should have gone after real perpetrator – Pak military
Impact on Lok Sabha elections
The UN listing of Masood Azhar as a terrorist will force Pakistan to initiate a series of actions as part of compliance, from freezing his assets to putting a blanket ban on travelling abroad.
The decision will, no doubt, have an impact on the Lok Sabha elections.
Soon after the elections dates were announced, the Congress had embarked on an aggressive campaign to target the BJP over the Rafale deal through the ‘chowkidar chor hai’ slogan.
By then, the Balakot air strikes had started losing their immediate recall value. Both the Congress and the BJP were approaching the elections through a presidential-style campaign.
This is when the BJP launched a counter-offensive with a campaign centred on nationalism and national security. The central message to the people was this: Only under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India could give a befitting response to Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack.
Modi’s strong statement of ‘dushman ke ghar me ghus ke marenge’ (will hit the enemy in their territory) reverberated with Indians. In the absence of a strong and credible opposition, Modi’s message stuck. Issues like unemployment and demonetisation paled into insignificance in the face of internal security and counter-terrorism measures.
Even a bitter critic of Modi, like the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, had to enter into an alliance with the BJP and fall in line with Modi’s hard-line approach on security.
Now with China agreeing to the UN designation of Masood Azhar, Modi’s muscular policy towards terrorism has got a stamp of approval.
Also read: Pakistani media was quick to spin UN action on Masood Azhar as diplomatic win for Islamabad
In the next three phases of Lok Sabha polling, several constituencies in the Hindi heartland states will vote where national security is an emotive issue. Border districts of Rajasthan, like Bikaner and Ganganagar, will vote in the fifth phase and Modi government’s strong action against terrorists is bound to strike a chord with the electors there.
The listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist seems to have further tilted the scales in favour of the BJP with Modi’s image as a doer getting a big boost. The voice on the ground is that no matter who the local candidate is, people will only vote for Narendra Modi.
The author is the former editor of ‘Organiser’. Views are personal.
As a report in IE makes clear, a lot of thoughtful diplomacy and reciprocal favours went into making this possible. Deescalation between India and Pakistan, which was even otherwise a good idea. India not speaking against the BRI, whose second big event was coming up. Again, a good thing, since we are free not to join, but gain nothing by public criticism. More weighty – accepting US sanctions on Iran and cutting imports of oil, something which Japan and South Korea are doing, but China and Turkey are not.
But China not allowing UN to blacklist Maulana Masood Azhar was Modi’s failure……….