Operation Sindoor Aftermath Tests Limits of Politics of Nationalism

BJP Aims for Modi to Gain Indira Gandhi’s 1971 Cult post-Balakot, Operation Sindoor

By MANISH ANAND

NEW DELHI, May 28, 2025 – The Congress will hold a ‘Jai Hind Sabha’ commemoration meeting at Jawahar Bhawan on Wednesday to hail the valour of the armed forces in Operation Sindoor. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and senior Congress leader Ajay Maken will lead party workers in partaking in the nationalist fervour.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has dominated Indian media coverage over the past week for effectively countering the Pakistani narrative during the four-day-long India-Pakistan conflict. Opposition leaders Abhishek Banerjee (TMC) and Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM) also went viral for their powerful statements against Pakistan’s persistent support for terrorism. Ironically, none of the BJP members in the all-party delegations—seven in total—managed to generate a single compelling viral video clip from their remarks on foreign soil.

The responsibility to steer the political narrative following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor has clearly fallen on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister has attempted to rally public sentiment with strong slogans such as, “Not blood, I’ve got Sindoor flowing in my veins,” and “Modi’s bullets await you (Pakistan).”

Following Operation Sindoor, the Prime Minister has been on a whirlwind tour of various states, visiting Indian Air Force stations. After trips to Rajasthan and Gujarat, Modi is set to tour poll-bound Bihar. The land of social justice will test Modi’s ability to shape the domestic political narrative to the BJP’s advantage.

Political commentator Christophe Jaffrelot claimed that there is “genuine disillusionment among BJP supporters” in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. In an interview with The Federal, Jaffrelot stated: “Many Modi supporters expected a 1971 moment, and their disillusionment is real.”

Jaffrelot warned that “trying to frame him as a new Indira Gandhi or Lord Shiva—part of a political theatre—risks setting unrealistic expectations.” BJP observers argue that pro-party television channels are to blame for raising these “unrealistic expectations” of Pakistan’s dismemberment. Suffering from geopolitical illiteracy, television anchors misled their audiences into believing that Modi was on the verge of redrawing the map of Pakistan.

Now, the BJP faces the pressing challenge of its most potent amplifier—pliable television channels—being subject to public ridicule. Their effectiveness in continuing to shape the political narrative in favour of the BJP is now under popular scrutiny.

Opposition leaders appear to have grown wiser through international exposure. They have pivoted their rhetoric to highlight the role of India’s armed forces and the Ministry of External Affairs. Offering symbolic gestures like roses for the armed forces, the Opposition is calling for a special session of Parliament. They have made their intent clear: to question the government on several issues, including “where did the Pahalgam terrorists vanish?”

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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