WAR AND POLITICS

Foreign affairs and a pandemic should see a bipartisan approach from political parties since both these situations are extraordinary and have repercussions on all Indians. Regrettably, in India, this tacit principle has been discarded. Both the tension with China on Ladakh frontier and the Coronavirus Pandemic has been politicized by the opposition parties, mainly Congress, with its leaders issuing a daily condemnation of the Narendra Modi government on issues. This could not have come at the worst time. The deadly virus that also came from Wuhan, China, has unleashed an unprecedented tragedy across the world, Indian being no exception. It was time for all the opposition parties to work alongside the government to overcome it and boost the morale of the people. Also, the aggressive attitude of China on the Line of Actual Control is happening in a certain geopolitical scenario and all Indians need to stand as one against this. Already the firm but quiet back door diplomacy has worked on the Chinese and the PLA has backtracked at three points in Ladakh. The situation is fast changing to the extent that Chinese are trying to making moves to prove they value India as a neighbour and a friend. The PLA General in charge of the Ladakh front has been shifted and the Chinese scholars are praising the Indian Army’s capabilities. Why do the Congress leaders find this an issue to be raised against the government? Don’t they know a fragmented narrative on foreign policy gives an advantage to the enemy? The fact is that no country in the world is ever equipped to deal with a pandemic and India being a developing country we should have been the worst hit. Instead of giving credit to the Modi government for imposing an early lockdown and preventing deaths and the collapse of the medical system across India, the opposition has been questioning its each and every move. This isn’t even good politics since the public is in no mood to listen to the demoralising talk. The opposition could have won many hearts by being positive and joining the nation’s battle against COVID-19.

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