Two months ago tonight, Indian Air Force jets were locked and loaded for what would become the most devastating wave of Operation Sindoor. Military targets deep inside and across Pakistan were all set to be hit by long-range Indian missiles. The Indian military, as has since been made clear, knew what it was up against: a Pakistan clearly propped up by China and with weaponry help from Turkey. It was a time that demanded India stand united.
And yet, in the two months since that historic punitive mission against our external foes, our politicians here at home have done everything to make us feel internally divided.
Down A Dangerous Road
This year, India's netas have proven they don't deserve the courage of our soldiers, sailors and pilots. While the external threat has never been more clear, they continue to light internal fires they have no intention of putting out.
In Maharashtra, goons masquerading as 'language warriors' slap a shopkeeper because he speaks Hindi. In Karnataka, thugs attack delivery boys and techies for not speaking Kannada. In Bengal, “outsiders” is the new political slur. In Bihar, Tejashwi's clan openly calls out Gujaratis. In Delhi, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP threatens to beat up Marathis. The Congress's top minds sharpen the 'North-vs-South' knife with a cynicism only career politicians are capable of. In Tamil Nadu, the ruling party's leader paints Hindi speakers as colonisers and normalises division in the name of pride.
Our Forces Don't Discriminate. We Do
It's a never-ending circus of hate, divisions and hypocrisy. Of fighting for states but not for the nation. And through it all, I like to think our military watches, a little sad, a little bemused.
They don't get to pick who they protect. Whether it's a cowardly Shinde Sena MLA who punches a canteen boy, or a Sena thug who kicks a migrant, or a BJP strongman who sends goons to beat up a corporator, or a Congress Minister who bashes up a highway official, they are all under the protection of the same uniformed men and women they have zero respect for.
Think of the sailor in a submarine who won't see the sun for weeks. The pilots in a Jaguar who perished in training today, training to defend this country and MLAs like that thug in Mumbai. The soldier manning a post in Siachen with frostbitten fingers and a rifle on standby. Not one of them will ever ask who speaks which language, who prays to which god, or who belongs where. Their job is to protect. And they do it, for all of us. They don't and cannot discriminate.
Are You Worth Fighting For?
But that question must be asked. Not to the military, but to the politicians. Are you worth fighting for?
Unity is not just a slogan for Independence Day. It should be the minimum requirement to deserve the protection of the world's most selfless defenders.
We've just fought a near-war with Pakistan. We have a war-like standoff with China, which weaponised Islamabad and seeks nothing but to damage and contain India's rise. We are neighboured by Bangladesh, a nation we helped birth but which has now lost its way in a blind rush of fundamentalist strife. There hasn't been a year perhaps when we ought to be more united, talk less about the languages that divide us and focus rather on the nationhood that unites us.
India's netas, unfortunately, have failed that test miserably.
(The author is Managing Editor and Senior Anchor at NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
