India is currently experiencing a peak in political tension. During the monsoon session of Parliament, the BJP-led government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been forced into a deeply defensive position. On one hand, the deadly attack in the sensitive region of Pahalgam in Kashmir has raised serious questions about security failures; on the other hand, the crash of Rafale jets and the ambiguous failure of Operation Mahadev have shattered the government’s claims. The opposition-particularly the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), and other parties-is raising questions that neither the government nor its supporting media can answer.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi severely criticised the government over the Pahalgam attack. She questioned, “How is it possible that a sensitive and tourist-heavy location lacked proper security arrangements? If the intelligence agencies failed, why hasn’t anyone resigned yet?” Her questions highlighted the Modi government’s complete failure in handling the Kashmir issue through its hardline policies. The growing public unrest in Kashmir, the military tension, and the political instability all point to the fact that the current strategy is not only a failure but also harmful.When Congress MP Francis George stood in Parliament and said, “The world is screaming that India has lost at least three Rafale jets, one SU-30 MKI, and one MIG-29-but the Defence Minister tells us not to ask how many aircraft we lost, and instead, to focus on whether we achieved our objective,” a heavy silence fell over the house. This is not just political mudslinging-it’s a harsh reality that glaring weaknesses are surfacing in India’s defence preparedness and military machinery. The most shocking revelation was the crash of a Rafale jet (BS001) near the Bathinda Air Force Station, resulting in one civilian death and multiple injuries. The government attempted to label it an “unidentified incident” and sweep it under the rug, but media reports and eyewitnesses brought the truth to light.
Operation Mahadev, initially touted by Indian media as a “surgical strike,” has now become a complete mystery. No clear details are available, nor any tangible results. The opposition keeps questioning: if the operation was a success, then where is the evidence? TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee addressed Modi directly:
“Modi ji! Why are you so afraid of Trump? Why the silence over the failure of Operation Sindoor, and the immediate acceptance of Trump’s ceasefire proposal-what’s going on?”
It appears that the BJP government is rattled by the opposition’s onslaught. Silence in response to every attack, evasion of every question, and false claims in every crisis-all these are exposing the government’s helplessness. Even those sections of the media that usually serve as the BJP’s cheerleaders are now hesitant to repeat its narrative.
When the Indian government claimed to have recovered “Pakistani chocolates” from three alleged attackers involved in the Pahalgam incident, the public and social media ridiculed it. In today’s world, how can chocolate be considered proof of an international conspiracy? Amit Shah’s claim was met with widespread criticism across India. The Canadian government and even Indian courts (such as in the Bombay blasts case) have declared the NIA’s investigations unreliable. So how can “chocolate” be presented as credible evidence in any court of law?
The confusion deepened when Indian media initially reported that individuals like Abu Hamza and Zakir were already dead-yet today Amit Shah is naming Afghan and Jabir as the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack. If the NIA had already dismissed those initial names, how did the same people resurface after three months?
The writer is an old Aitchisonian who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.
