Why only Modi and BJP benefit from terror strikes by Jaish

The “non-state” actors in Pakistan or the Jihadi terrorists from across the border, specially the Salafi Maulana Masood Azhar seem to time their action in India well, including this time when they targeted a bus in Kashmir carrying CRPF jawans, killing over forty of them on the spot. Ironically, most of the time Jaish or Pakistan’s state actors’ moves have proved profitable to the BJP.

Since February 14, no one has dared mention the Rafale scam, whence the needle of suspicion pointed directly at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not just in the mainstream media but even on digital and social media. Modi is back again as the muscular tough talking ‘He-man’ who must be trusted to “teach Pakistan a lesson, shutting up all sceptics and Modi critics, including political opponents. It’s advantage Modi, courtesy Masood.

The backlash has helped Jaish-e-Mohammad’s cause, for this would give birth to more Burhan Wanis and Adil Ahmad Dars, the suicide

bomber who drove his RDX laden vehicle into the CRPF bus killing 40 jawans.

There is however a sub text of the Masood story. Every action of Jaish appears to have bailed out the BJP every time it was perceived to be in difficulty. While the Mumbai 26/11 attack in 2008 may not have helped BJP win the election in 2009, even the Mumbai attack helped the saffron brigade get rid of the Maharashtra ATS (Anti-Terror Squad) chief Hemant Karkare who for the first time had exposed the terror links of the Hindutva brigade. After Karkare’s heinous killing by Ajmal Qassab, who was later hanged, not one of the half a dozen Hindutva acolytes rounded up by Karkare was convicted and all of them are basking under the sun of liberty.

Take the December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament. It was the NDA government at the Centre and the Opposition was up in arms protesting the “Coffin scam” seeking the then Defence Minister George Fernandes’ resignation. The 2001 Parliament attack pushed the coffingate scam into the background, thus bailing out the Vajpayee government at another critical juncture.

The same outcome had followed Kargil. NDA-I was voted out by a single vote but the Opposition failed to come together to offer an alternative, and the nation had to face a mid-term poll. In between “non-state actors from Pakistan occupied our vantage positions and this led to a skirmish causing our armed forces heavy human casualty, before the then US President Bill Clinton virtually forced the then Pakistan Prime Minister to call for withdrawal and within no time they retreated, making us ‘victorious’ and gloating over our victory the BJP returned to power once again with the same number of MPs, 182 which it had secured in the 1998 general elections.

There are more such coincidences. But the fundamental question that begs for an answer is who benefits from such acts at the end of the day? The besieged Kashmiri youth or the saffron brigade?

The other day Shah Faesal, the 2009 IAS topper who recently quit the prestigious civil service out of frustration and disillusionment over

the plight of Kashmiri youth, was invited for a discussion by peaceniks and he specifically mentioned how every time Kashmiri youth tried to break free from the shackles of militancy and build an academic or professional career in the mainland, they were frustrated by militant strikes and the ensuing backlash. Such strikes only helped multiply the number of stone pelters and home-grown terrorists.