Tepid Congress reaction to Pak LoC killings is a gift to BJP

The tag of ‘soft state’ has come back to haunt the Manmohan Singh government yet again. The killing of five Indian soldiers in an ambush by Pakistan has given the BJP a chance to re-focus the debate on Congress follies on national security issues and its ineffective response to Pakistan.

The UPA government’s stand on the issue so far has been tepid, and  limited to laying out the details of the attack that took place post midnight near Chakan Da Bagh along the LoC in Poonch sector. This has come as welcome ammunition for the BJP which thinks that this meek response will make many look up to Modi’s strong leadership.

The incident has sparked popular outrage, particularly because it comes soon after the beheading of two Indian Jawans, the killing of Sarabjit in a Pakistan jail and the bombing outside the Indian consulate in Jalalabad. And yet the government’s response to each these incidents has been muted.

In an apparent damage control exercise aimed at insulating Sonia Gandhi, Congress spin doctors have been circulating media stories of her emotional reaction:

“Congress President Sonia Gandhi has expressed deep grief and shock at the deceitful killing of 5 Indian solders by Pakistan at the LoC in Jammu & Kashmir. Extending heartfelt condolences to the family of the martyred soldiers she said that the entire congress party as indeed the entire country stands by them. She said that the Indian nation could not be cowed down by such blatant acts of deceit and urged the Government of India to take up appropriate measures.”

The tone is similar to her letter to the Prime Minister on Durga Shakti Nagpal, urging him to ensure that the  officer was not treated unfairly.

But as of Tuesday night, the government has not made a  single proposal as to what “appropriate action” may be taken. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not spoken on the subject. Defence minister AK Antony’s statement in Parliament and later statements by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid were not sufficient to soothe public outrage

Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party youth wing, Yuva Morcha protested outside AK Antony’s residence on Monday evening, Pakistani Foreign Affairs Adviser  Sartaj Aziz was quoted as saying that the two Prime Ministers, Nawaz Sharif and Manmohan Singh are still likely to meet in New York in September on the sidelines of the UN General assembly meeting. The Pakistani media is also full of stories of Manmohan Singh’s possible visit to that country in October.

The attack on Indian soldiers took place hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s special envoy Shaharyar Khan had met Manmohan Singh at his residence, 7 Race Course Road, and delivered a letter conveying Islamabad’s “sincere desire to move forward on improving relations with India”.

A Pakistan High Commission release said “the Indian prime minister warmly reciprocated the sentiments expressed in the letter”. Khan had also called on Salman Khurshid, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai.

In the aftermath of the beheading of two Indian jawans in January this year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said “it cannot be business as usual” with Pakistan. What has happened is unacceptable."

Yet if Aziz’s announcement is any indication, it will be business as usual even after the latest killings.

But the BJP is in no mood to allow the UPA to carry on as usual. It is already opposing any meeting between Singh and Nawaz Sharif in New York. And Narendra Modi, the BJP’s campaign committee chief for the next elections, has been quick to condemn the Centre’s response: “From China’s intrusions to Pakistan’s ambushes- UPA Government has been absolutely lax in securing Indian borders. When will Centre wake up?” he tweeted. In another tweet he termed the incident  “unacceptable”.

In Parliament, while extending its full support to the government, BJP leaders proceeded to punch holes in Defence Minister AK Antony’s statement, which included the claim that “the ambush was carried out by approximately 20 heavily armed terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan Army uniforms.”

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said that by saying “‘persons dressed in Pakistani army uniform’ the defence minister was giving an opportunity to Pakistan to deny its role and if need be blame it on non state actors” The Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and others also reiterated the point, but Antony stood firm, saying “my statement is based on confirmed reports received till the time I made the statement…At this stage we don’t want to jump to any conclusion.”

It would be interesting to see how and when Manmohan Singh responds to Sonia Gandhi’s appeal to take appropriate action. But it also raises the other big question: Will meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister in New York, next month be an “appropriate action”?