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Updated: Feb 18, 2019 07:32 IST

Soon after terrorists attacked an Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Punjab’s Pathankot on January 2, 2016, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to declare war against Pakistan.

The attack, in which six soldiers and an officer were killed, was allegedly carried out by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which has now claimed responsibility for last week’s suicide bombing of a bus carrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel that killed 40 men.

In contrast with the aggressive reaction to the Pathankot attack, the response of the Sangh Parivar to the car bombing has been muted. The VHP and RSS, the ideological fount of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have toned down calls for retribution and statements issued by key functionaries convey their faith in the government to do the right thing.

Both the Sangh and VHP have asked the government to hold the perpetrators to account, but the bombast is missing. The change in tone comes at a time the BJP is preparing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and has showcased the “surgical strikes” carried out against terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in 2016 as proof of its muscular policy against Pakistan and zero tolerance for terror.

The surgical strikes were carried out in retaliation for a terrorist attack on the Indian Army’s brigade headquarters in Uri, near the LoC in September 2016, that left 19 soldiers dead.

Following the Pulwama attack, VHP working president Alok Kumar on Friday called for destroying terrorist bases in Pakistan. “Jaish-e-Mohammad is a Pakistan-based and -backed outfit... The nexus must be broken and terrorist bases in Pakistan destroyed,” he said.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat dubbed the attack cowardly and said Thursday, “…We expect action in response to this. We have tolerated a lot and are still doing so, as seen from today’s incident.”

Have the statements been toned down to reduce the pressure on the BJP?

A senior functionary of the Sangh, on condition of anonymity, said, “There has been no solution to the Kashmir problem. Taking harsh action has not been successful and we’ve seen taking a soft approach has also not fetched results. There is a feeling that the government is doing the best it can and it must be left to them to take action.”

In the past, the Sangh had on several occasions underlined the need for a robust policy to deal with Pakistan and China, which has blocked India’s bid to get JeM chief Masood Azhar declared a “global terrorist” by the United Nations. It has pointed out that India’s overtures for peace in the region have been rebuffed.

The Sangh has also advocated caution in taking ties with Pakistan forward. While it supported PM Modi when he called on his then counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Lahore in 2015, it asked the government to not overlook the Kargil war and the Pathankot attack.

Similar caution was advocated on ties with China. After the military standoff between India and China at Doklam in 2017, and China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a move that New Delhi has objected to, affiliates of the RSS pushed for a ban on import of Chinese goods.

Affiliates that demanded reclaiming PoK and lending support to the separatist movement in Balochistan in the past are now content with government’s announcement that India will withdraw the most favoured nation status accorded to Pakistan. “The Sangh realises the constraints of launching an armed aggression so they hoping that the government will investigate and punish the perpetrators of the crime at the earliest. That would be a good start,” said a second functionary, also requesting anonymity.

The balanced response of the Sangh was welcomed by commentator Dilip Deodhar. “The Sangh knows that this government will not take things lying down. They know ultimately there will be a reaction. So there is no point in a show of emotion now. A balanced approach shows that the Sangh has taken a mature view, which is the need of the hour,” he said.