At a political rally in Patna’s iconic Gandhi Maidan last week, Ram Vilas Paswan was a touch more than effusive in praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Earlier, we used to say that his chest is of 56 inches. But, today, Gandhi Maidan is honouring you by saying Narendra Modi’s chest size is not 56 inches, but 156 inches.” Held in the backdrop of India’s dramatic airstrikes in PoK, and the breathless media coverage of it, the rally was naturally dyed in those colours. With just weeks left for a general election, the political scenario has been irrevocably given a ‘nationalistic’ turn. And Paswan, a wily veteran known as the best hand at spotting which way the wind is blowing, had already hitched his wagon to what he deemed the rising star. So dramatically articulating a theme that the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will make its war cry for 2019 makes sense for him. Given the strong sentiments the theme can evoke, whatever else happens, ‘nationalism’ is not about to disappear from the narrative.
And that’s bad news for Opposition parties, still struggling to find common ground for a possible alliance—or set of alliances—to take on Modi and a rejuvenated BJP. There may be doubts over the efficacy of the airstrike at the JeM camp, but there’s really no doubt that among its casualties, at least in the immediate term, is the Opposition. The ‘nationalistic’ rush has knocked it off its feet when it was just finding its feet, and its best-laid, if tentative, plans have been put to waste, at least for now. Political analysts agree. “I’ve no doubt that, post Balakot, the BJP will benefit electorally. At the moment, people believe that PM Modi taught a lesson to Pakistan and only Modi can do it,” Sanjay Kumar of the Centre for Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) tells Outlook.
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