Fog of war: Will voters see through Modi spin?

If it were only a matter of signalling a doctrinal shift to Pakistan in response to terrorism, why beguile the Indian voter by tales of war, bravery and deaths inflicted in Pakistan?

At the core of Prime Minister Modi’s boastfulness about surgical strikes “on the ground, in the sky and in outer space” is his need to reinforce the idea of an enemy laying permanent siege to the nation. Pakistan fills the role of the external enemy and India’s Muslim minority the role of its secret supporters within. However, recent events appear to be unravelling Modi’s re-election campaign so carefully crafted around the idea of “teaching Pakistan a lesson”.  

If initially, the Modi government could successfully shut down critics of the air strike by claiming that questioning the veracity of its claims