Oppan Demoralising Our forces,helping Pak:Modi

Oppan Demoralising Our forces,helping Pak:Modi

AMETHI/PATNA: Prime Minister NarendraModi’sspeechtomark thelaunchoftheNationalDemocratic Alliance’s campaign in Bihar, and, later in the day, his firstrallyinfiveyearsinAmethi, Uttar Pradesh, the pocket borough of the Gandhis, left no doubt that national security wouldbeoneofhismainthemes overthenextfewmonths. At Amethi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s constituency, he roused the crowd with nationalistic and patriotic slogansbeforehisspeech.InPatna, he accused the Congress and other opposition parties of demoralisingsecurityforcesand playing right into the enemy’s hand. NewIndia would not countenance anyone questioning our security forces, Modi said in Patna, adding that “the nation hasseenhowtheCongresshandlesnational security”. In Amethi, he accused the Congress ofeven lying on mattersofnationalsecurityandsaid demands ofthe security forces for arms and equipment were ignored. Modi’s Amethi speech also suggested thatBJPMPand textilesministerSmriti Iranicould well be the person to challenge GandhiinAmethi. Following the February 14

suicidebombingofaCRPFconvoybyaterroristofthePakistanbasedJaish-e-Mohammed(JeM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with other leaders during ‘Sankalp Rally’ at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on Sunday.
that killed 

that killed 40 troopers in Pulwama,Jammu&Kashmir,India launched on February 26 preemptive air strikes at a Jaish camp in Pakistan to prevent moreattacks. PakistanrespondedonFebruary 27, although India said the PakistanAirForce’s attempt to target military installations failed.Indiaalsobroughtdowna PAF F-16, although its own MiG-21camedownontheother sideoftheLineofControl.Pakistan captured the pilot, but releasedhimwithinthreedays. Meanwhile,Indiahasmanaged

tobringalot ofdiplomaticpressureonPakistan. While the issue is far from

over,analystssaythatModiand hisBharatiyaJanataPartywill useit toreinforceitspositionon nationalsecurityandterror.On Friday, in a meeting in Tamil Nadu, Modi struck a similar note. In Patna, Modi shared the

stage with Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar for the first timesince 2009. “I want to know from Congressandits allieswhytheyare demoralisingsecurityforcesby

askingforproofoftheairstrikes against terror camps? Why are they issuing such statements that benefit our enemies?,” he said. In Amethi, Modi announced

the launch of a joint venture betweenIndiaandRussiaforthe manufacture ofAK-203 assault rifles at an ordnance factory, saying the constituency will serveasaperfectexampleofthe BharatiyaJanataParty’spolicy of “sabka saath, sabka vikas” (with everyone and for everyone’s progress).