PM Narendra Modi

act against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism

Surgical strike to global isolation: How India can respond to Uri

NEW DELHI: The growing pressure ontoafter the Uri attack seems to be reflecting in the responses of his ministers.A day after BJP president Amit Shah talked about the need to punish Pakistan, junior foreign minister VK Singh said he was absolutely confident that the PM would give a tough response to Pakistan's latest provocation. Another minister, Jitendra Singh, said people wanted the Modi government to act firmly.The pressure from within to “act firmly“ could also be a manifestation of the expectation triggered by angry anti-Pakistan statements issued by Modi and others in the BJP in the runup to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and even earlier. Modi used to come down heavily on the UPA after every terror attack or even clashes on the border.Perhaps mindful of that, senior ministers, including home minister Rajnath Singh and finance minister Arun Jaitley, have held Pakistan responsible for the Uri attack. Shah went on to the extent of saying that India was prepared for a final onslaught against terror.Even RSS weighed in, with Suresh Bhiyyaji Joshi saying the terrorists, their masters and their supporters should be dealt with firmly and conclusively. V K Singh, a former Army chief, said, “Having seen the Army closely, I feel it needs to be analysed as to what happened there... It needs to be investigated how the incident took place and what was the lacuna. From the Army's side, alertness is required. The Kashmir situation needs to be thought about. Action has to be taken without getting influenced by emotions, anger. It has to be taken coolly and with proper planning.“