After Pulwama, national security pips development as BJP's top agenda for Lok Sabha poll campaign

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to highlight the government's response to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack during its campaigning for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, The Indian Express has reported.

The report states that the party wants to ensure that the "diplomacy gains" that the government made during its handling of the attack are emphasised.

Party leaders told the newspaper that they believe putting up national security as a poll plank will blunt the Opposition's attack on the party over its other alleged failures. Moreover, party leaders are hoping that national security as a poll plank will also dilute differences of caste, religion and class.

The leaders also stated that national security as an issue will replace the development agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which had helped the BJP storm to power in 2014 elections.

According to the report, BJP leaders feel that the handling of the situation post-Pulwama had earned the party momentum in rural areas, but the party wants the message to reach out to the urban voters as well.

According to the report, the issues that the party wants highlighted include calling out Pakistan's nuclear bluff, emphasising on the support of world leaders to India, invitation by the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and bringing back Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

"It was this nuclear-power status that had made India hesitant in taking strong action against Pakistan even after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack because the international community always expected India to be mature and patient. But this February 26 pre-emptive strike has dismissed that threat," a party office-bearer told the newspaper.

According to the report, the party leaders also want to highlight that the countries that had imposed sanctions on India after it conducted nuclear tests had come out in support of India this time around. Moreover, India was also invited to the OIC, considered "Pakistan's playground", for the first time after 1969.

The BJP also plans on telling the voters that it was due to PM Modi's efforts that Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan was brought back to India within 48 hours. A party leader told the newspaper that Modi had "refused to speak to his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan when he called" as he wanted Khan to announce Abhinandan’s release first.

The Opposition, meanwhile, has criticised the BJP for "cashing in on the sacrifice of the soldiers". However, Opposition parties have also gone into a huddle to rework on their strategies for the polls.

"The whole narrative changes. We have to plan everything again, both campaign and other tactics. We have to re-calibrate everything," a senior Congress leader told the newspaper. According to another report in the newspaper, the Congress is trying to balance between supporting the armed forces and questioning BJP over its politicisation of the attack and its aftermath.