- Any terrorist attacks in the country should ideally unite citizens to voice in unison their condemnation, indignation, and demand a stern response for the heinous, dastardly, and cowardly act. Killing innocent tourists for no rhyme or reason calls for strict action befitting a nation’s collective grief. What happened in the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack, resulting in the killing of 28 innocent tourists, has evoked a tremendous reaction from the Indian citizens. While the whole nation is baying for the blood of the perpetrators, the Union Government has initiated several measures, including a diplomatic offensive, to build pressure on the Pakistani deep state. However, what must have surprised the Indian citizens is how politics takes center stage even during crises.
PC: Times of India
- At the best of times, the political class, irrespective of party affiliations, will be looking out for an opportunity to further consolidate assiduously built vote banks by raking up issues bordering on parochial considerations. The Indian politicians are quite adept at indulging in scoring brownie points is a given fact that cannot be disputed. Nonetheless, the Pahalgam terrorist attack should have compelled political leaders to exercise utmost caution, sensitivity, and sensibility while issuing statements. It’s not rocket science to expect the political class to go with the majority sentiment when the whole country’s blood is boiling, as the Prime Minister mentioned during his monthly radio talks. And what do some of our political leaders do? Quite the opposite.
PC: NDTV
- While the Grand Old Party has extended support to the Union Government by mentioning in no unambiguous terms that the latter has its backing in whatever suitable action deemed necessary as a response to the terrorist attack. Any responsible opposition party would have done the same without taking recourse to whipping up emotions when the country is baying for the blood of perpetrators. Unfortunately, a few political leaders representing the opposition parties have made statements that are not only irresponsible but also expose a sheer lack of sensitivity towards the victims’ families still suffering from the shock of losing their loved ones. Some of the statements attributed to the leaders are plain stupid and insensitive, to say the least.
PC: Moneycontrol
- Sample this. One Congress leader questioning whether the terrorists questioned victims’ religion before shooting them cold cold-blooded as claimed by the families and reported extensively by the media, reeks of gross callousness. Little wonder, the families of the victims retorted not to politicize the killings by questioning the veracity of the facts. No less than the chief minister of Karnataka goes on record to state that the situation unfolding doesn’t warrant a war with Pakistan. Of course, he had to retract his statement in no time, claiming the usual done-to-death media was distorting what was meant in the first place. The onus is on the national leaders to rein in their loose cannons to toe the official line of the party. We don’t expect politics during national crises.
