Published On : Wed, Nov 9th, 2016

Do all Modi actions of 8th November point to an imminent war with Pakistan?

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editorialNagpur: Demonetizing high value Rupee notes was not the only newsworthy action Prime Minister Modi took yesterday.

Earlier in the day, Narendra Modi held a high-level meet in New Delhi to review the prevailing situation across the disputed border in Kashmir, where nuclear-armed India and Pakistan are engaged in increasingly intense artillery duels.

The meeting, held at the official residence of the PM, was attended by all two chiefs of army and navy and vice-chief of air staff. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also present in the meeting.

No further details of the meeting are available yet.

Tension over the Himalayan region has run high since a September cross-border raid on an army base killed 19 Indian soldiers, prompting what New Delhi called retaliatory ‘surgical strikes’ against Islamist militants in Pakistan.

Each accuses the other of repeatedly violating a 2003 ceasefire. On the diplomatic front, already chilly relations have gone into the deep freeze following recent tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats.

Both sides also dispute each other’s version of events that come against the backdrop of heightened tension in Indian-ruled Kashmir after security forces killed a separatist field commander in July.

The increasing cross-border firing is raising fears that military escalation could trigger a war that could potentially result in a devastating nuclear exchange over Kashmir, the bone of contention between the two nations since 1947.

So what did Modi exactly discuss with the high ranking Army/Airforce/Navy chiefs?

Later in the day, he called upon the President and in the evening when the world was glued to watching American elections he dropped the ‘bomb’ of ‘cancelling’ Rs. 1000/ and Rs. 500/ notes ostensibly to curb counterfeit money that was coming in from across the border to fund terrorism.

But with this one clean swoop, he was elevated to the position of a Messiah by many middle class, educated Indians who do not have the problem of sheltering ‘black money’.

What else has he achieved with this one dramatic step that only keen political observers can foresee?

One such advocate/ politician and a keen analyst, Advocate Shreehari Aney has opined this on blog on Facebook.

” Modi ji & demonisation – my take.
Allow me to predict the future political events.
1. In one swoop of demonisation, Modi ji has destroyed every political leader and demolished every political party, including his own. He has decimated the big time politicians and their political parties completely.
2. There is no political leader left standing in the field, except Modi ji. He becomes the ONLY leader.
3. He has similarly dismantled the corruption ridden Bureaucracy. All the Babus are left with worthless cash.
4. He has made more secret enemies than known enemies. These enemies are some of the biggest Politicians & bureaucrats & businessmen in the country .
5. They will react with a view to try creating public outcry against him and throw him out of office.
6. He will survive by starting a war with Pakistan. In wartime, the nation rallies around the Prime Minister.
So a war is imminent.”

Thought provoking. Has Modi killed many birds with this one stone? Legislative assembly elections are to be held within a few months in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. How do political parties across the board, including BJP fight these elections without liquid (unaccounted) funds?

If majority forecasts are to be believed, ruling BJP is bound to lose states like Punjab, Goa and may be even Modi and Shah’s home state of Gujarat. All this was before he took this sudden action. What happens now?

It is a happy co incidence for Modi that Trump is bound to be the 45th President of USA soon. His stance against Muslim terrorists and nations harbouring terrorist groups like Pakistan is known. If India and Pakistan were to go to war with Hillary as President, her reaction would be unpredictable – given American Presidents’ collective soft corner for Pakistan so far. But Trump would definitely be different. In fact with him as President of USA world politics will change and nations get heavily polarized. That was expected. May be we shall see Trump and Modi make a staunch two some uniting to fight Islamic terrorism and Islamic nations as well?