Shiv Sena's N-threat to Pakistan: Why Modi should crack the whip on his allies

The final Monday of May marks Memorial Day, but of course, Uddhav Thackeray thumbs his nose at any non-Swadeshi holidays and so will not be praying for the souls of human casualties of wars. And if he spots the Amar Jawan memorial on his way to the swearing-in ceremony this evening, he will doubtless bristle once again at the prospect of sharing the same space as the leader of a country that has inflicted its share of Indian casualties. The Pakistanis are not to be trusted, said the president of the party that has displayed a single-minded dedication to keeping Pakistanis out of India’s hockey fields, cricket pitches and more. Through the election campaign and before, the Sena has waxed eloquent about the UPA government’s ineffectual noises on cross-border terrorism. When, this January, Indian soldiers were killed along the Line of Control, Uddhav called for snapping all ties with Pakistan and initiating a military invasion to exact revenge. But Balasaheb is gone, and Sena minions can hardly be expected to stage a protest in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan where Uddhav and Nawaz Sharif will be in attendance together as guests of Narendra Modi. [caption id=“attachment_1534541” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] So, Uddhav’s deftly worded statement continued, “It’s expected that the good days anticipated now will also cover peaceful cross-border relations, but if the “Pakistani dogs’ tails remain crooked,” then Mr Modi must very well press the nuclear button, he said. Of course it’s just Sena-style bluster, and everyone knows that. Even so, when he congratulates the new prime minister on Monday evening, it will not be as a regional leader whose party has been best known for its chauvinistic agenda targeting a variety of communities in the past four decades. The Shiv Sena now, with 18 MPs, is the Bharatiya Janata Party’s biggest ally, with one party MP expected to make it to Modi’s Cabinet. That makes Uddhav the seniormost ally of the party that has won a historic mandate. And that’s why his display of arrogance masquerading as geo-strategy is frightening. All the rational arguments against N-war, against making even empty threats about the N-button, remain the same. An escalation of nuclear threats and counter-threats will quickly become a matter who blinks first, a dangerous situation that nobody in the region wants. Questions of whether Uddhav and the Shiv Sena understand what devastation will visit the region in the eventuality of a nuclear war, whether those who deliver these war cries have considered the loss of innocent lives, ecosystems, and the generations who will be maimed – all these remain valid. While beating the nuclear war drums at any time is inadvisable, it is all the more disturbing that the Sena has chosen to do so on the eve of possible bilateral talks, however symbolic these may be. Surely, threatening a visiting foreign head of state as an ally of a prime minister whose finger is on the nuclear button does not strike the right note. Even before getting on its biggest national stage ever, the Sena has underlined its reputation as a shrill, immature and bellicose partner who cannot be trusted to adhere by mandatory niceties. Worse, while Modi has made it apparent that his focus is on the economic front first, the Sena’s brash comment casts him in poor light. He took some electoral aim at Pakistan during the campaign himself, making repeated mention of the incident in which Indian soldiers were decapitated along the LoC. But having made the big gesture of inviting Nawaz Sharif, he certainly doesn’t want to look like he’s shooting from Uddhav Thackeray’s shoulder, certainly not on the eve of his biggest diplomatic event ever. The Sena has much navel gazing to do about the kind of role it wants to play on the national stage, but Modi might also need to crack his whip. If allies make these noises on the eve of his big day, he has a steep climb ahead.