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Business News/ Politics / India/  Narendra Modi regains his stride in style
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Narendra Modi regains his stride in style

Surgical strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir will reinforce Narendra Modi's stature, boost his already impressive approval ratings and hush detractors

Photo: ReutersPremium
Photo: Reuters

The surgical strikes by the Indian Army on terrorist camps located inside Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) will reinforce the stature of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and boost his already impressive approval ratings.

Two years into his term, even some of his supporters, had begun to voice concerns about Modi’s ability, not his intent, to work the levers of government to deliver on electoral promises. The murmurs only grew louder after the audacious cross-border terror strikes, first in Pathankot and later in Uri. The overnight surgical strikes may have dispelled those doubts, at least for now, and Modi is once again regaining his stride and has likely recouped all the social capital he lost.

The strikes come against the backdrop of a string of legislative successes—including the passage of the constitutional amendment bill to implement the Goods and Services Tax, despite stiff political opposition—and an improving macroeconomic outlook, especially with the deceleration in retail inflation.

On Thursday Modi also showed deft handling and maturity while debriefing key stakeholders within India’s political establishment and important global partners like the US. While the Americans were informed early through direct contact with their National Security Advisor, the centre walked the extra mile with the Congress, the country’s main opposition party. One strengthens Modi’s hand diplomatically and the other politically, critical in managing the fallout of India’s actions.

“The surgical strike is in consonance with the mood of the nation and it was long overdue. It shows a change in the mindset of the country; the government instead of being reactive is now being proactive. People had started to say that the government only talks and doesn’t act but this action will boost the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said A.K. Verma, Kanpur-based political analyst and political science professor at Christ Church College.

Also read | Narendra Modi walks the talk with surgical strikes against Pakistan

Before the all-party meeting, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi to fill her in on key details of the operation. Later, in a statement, Gandhi backed the government: “This is a strong message that conveys our country’s resolve to prevent further infiltration and attacks on our security forces and our people."

“Pakistan must take effective action to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism that it has supported. Pakistan must ensure that its territory and the territory under its control is not used for terrorist purposes against India," Gandhi added.

The dividends were visible at the all-party meeting, chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh, which saw a rare consensus among otherwise bitter political rivals. All of them backed the centre’s initiative.

Also read | India crosses LoC, Rubicon with surgical strikes

“The government briefed us about last night’s operation. We congratulated the army forces for the successful operation across the LoC and we have said that our position would always be for the forces and the government to deal with terrorists," said Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha.

But the Left caveated its support and pressed for India to resume talks with Pakistan; at the moment the bilateral talks have been called off. “They (government) said that the launch pads there were destroyed. No more details. From our side we have congratulated the Indian Army but what exactly is the overall assessment, they said it will take a little time to make that decision. I still say that this is not the answer and dialogue has to be there," Sitaram Yechury, general secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist), told reporters after the meeting.

According to Verma, the centre’s recent actions, after its initial stance of confrontation, augur well for Parliamentary business. “GST, and now the surgical strike—the government has managed to win the confidence of the opposition."

That might be a stretch but it is definitely a start.

Anuja and Pretika Khanna contributed to this story.

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Published: 30 Sep 2016, 12:19 AM IST
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