 "PM Narendra Modi with Home Minister Rajnath Singh at a High Level Meeting in the wake of Uri terror attack. Photo: PTI")
The Narendra Modi government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday struggled to de-escalate the public discourse over Sunday morning’s terror attack in Uri, Jammu & Kashmir.
Under pressure, mostly from their core supporters who demanded a retaliatory action against Pakistan, ministers and party leaders were advised to be more responsible in their public statements. The government held a series of meetings, including one chaired by the PM. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also briefed BJP spokespersons. Aware that it ran the risk of becoming a victim of its own anti-Pakistan rhetoric but at the same time its supporters would need to be satisfied about the government’s determination to ‘teach Pakistan a lesson’, ministers and party leaders said India was working on a multi-layered approach. They said the response would be calibrated, at the time of India’s choosing and would encompass diplomatic, strategic and economic efforts to isolate Pakistan internationally.
On Sunday, party general-secretary Ram Madhav had demanded “complete jaw (of Pakistan) for one tooth”. Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh had also come out with an aggressive statement. Given the limited options before the government immediately, such statements have been disapproved of. However, sources said in a diplomatic victory for India, Russia has called off its joint military exercise with Pakistan. Russia and Pakistan are to have military drills from September 24 to October 7. However, the euphoria was short-lived as it became apparent that Moscow has only called off the drills that were to have taken place in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), while those in other parts of Pakistan are slated to be held according to plan. New Delhi had expressed its concerns to Moscow on the military exercise before the Uri terror attack.
On the political front, the Congress upped the ante against the government, while the Shiv Sena said the situation was worse than what had existed during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance rule. Most opposition parties refrained from attacking the government, but called for a fitting response to Pakistan.
BJP leaders conceded that the Uri attack has presented a challenge that could potentially dent the PM’s image of a strong leader and also impact the party’s prospects in the upcoming Assembly polls to five states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand, which send significant numbers to the armed forces. In a bid to bring down the temperature, party leaders insisted the Uri attack should be seen in the context that 10 of the 12 terror attacks in the past two years have been neutralised, and only two — Pathankot in January 2015 and Uri on Sunday — have succeeded. They pointed at the efforts in the past two years to strengthen border fencing on the Line of Control. Sources ruled out surgical strikes on terror camps inside PoK as these were in civilian areas.
Apart from his meeting with senior ministers, National Security Adviser A K Doval and Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag, the PM also called on President Pranab Mukherjee. The Congress wanted to know why External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other senior ministers were absent in the PM’s meeting.
Minister of State (External Affairs) V K Singh, a former Army chief, said the lapses that led to the Uri attack should be investigated. He also advised the Army to decide upon its response “coolly” with proper planning.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said India’s patience was running out. “India-Pakistan relations will never be the same again. Our response will be mature and on several fronts but not something to be discussed in television studios,” he said. Party national secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said the Modi government “hasn’t tied the hands of the Army” and will back the forces.
Internationally, most countries criticised the attack and expressed solidarity with India. Meanwhile, Sartaj Aziz, the adviser to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, said India is using the Uri incident to “divert attention from human rights violations in Kashmir”. Also, Sharif would write to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council highlighting India’s alleged excesses in Kashmir. Swaraj is slated to raise the issue in her address at the UN General Assembly later this week.
Under pressure, mostly from their core supporters who demanded a retaliatory action against Pakistan, ministers and party leaders were advised to be more responsible in their public statements. The government held a series of meetings, including one chaired by the PM. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also briefed BJP spokespersons. Aware that it ran the risk of becoming a victim of its own anti-Pakistan rhetoric but at the same time its supporters would need to be satisfied about the government’s determination to ‘teach Pakistan a lesson’, ministers and party leaders said India was working on a multi-layered approach. They said the response would be calibrated, at the time of India’s choosing and would encompass diplomatic, strategic and economic efforts to isolate Pakistan internationally.
On Sunday, party general-secretary Ram Madhav had demanded “complete jaw (of Pakistan) for one tooth”. Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh had also come out with an aggressive statement. Given the limited options before the government immediately, such statements have been disapproved of. However, sources said in a diplomatic victory for India, Russia has called off its joint military exercise with Pakistan. Russia and Pakistan are to have military drills from September 24 to October 7. However, the euphoria was short-lived as it became apparent that Moscow has only called off the drills that were to have taken place in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), while those in other parts of Pakistan are slated to be held according to plan. New Delhi had expressed its concerns to Moscow on the military exercise before the Uri terror attack.
On the political front, the Congress upped the ante against the government, while the Shiv Sena said the situation was worse than what had existed during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance rule. Most opposition parties refrained from attacking the government, but called for a fitting response to Pakistan.
BJP leaders conceded that the Uri attack has presented a challenge that could potentially dent the PM’s image of a strong leader and also impact the party’s prospects in the upcoming Assembly polls to five states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand, which send significant numbers to the armed forces. In a bid to bring down the temperature, party leaders insisted the Uri attack should be seen in the context that 10 of the 12 terror attacks in the past two years have been neutralised, and only two — Pathankot in January 2015 and Uri on Sunday — have succeeded. They pointed at the efforts in the past two years to strengthen border fencing on the Line of Control. Sources ruled out surgical strikes on terror camps inside PoK as these were in civilian areas.
Apart from his meeting with senior ministers, National Security Adviser A K Doval and Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag, the PM also called on President Pranab Mukherjee. The Congress wanted to know why External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other senior ministers were absent in the PM’s meeting.
Minister of State (External Affairs) V K Singh, a former Army chief, said the lapses that led to the Uri attack should be investigated. He also advised the Army to decide upon its response “coolly” with proper planning.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said India’s patience was running out. “India-Pakistan relations will never be the same again. Our response will be mature and on several fronts but not something to be discussed in television studios,” he said. Party national secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said the Modi government “hasn’t tied the hands of the Army” and will back the forces.
Internationally, most countries criticised the attack and expressed solidarity with India. Meanwhile, Sartaj Aziz, the adviser to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, said India is using the Uri incident to “divert attention from human rights violations in Kashmir”. Also, Sharif would write to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council highlighting India’s alleged excesses in Kashmir. Swaraj is slated to raise the issue in her address at the UN General Assembly later this week.
