The ultra-nationalist rhetoric of the Aam Aadmi Party, led by Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra, and the Congress party outside the Pathankot air force base against the visiting five-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) from Pakistan (to probe the January 2 terror strike) was not at all surprising, given the fact that both the parties are key contenders in the Punjab Assembly polls to be held in early 2017.
In fact, even in the run-up to the formation of its first ever government in Delhi, AAP cadres extensively used nationalist symbols such as the waving of the tricolour and the chanting of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ – in what was seen as a clever ploy to woo voters in the national capital, electorally perceived as a Jan Sangh stronghold since its inception.
Given the fact that over the years, the national consensus on foreign policy issues has eroded considerably – to the extent that political parties openly attack each other even in foreign lands – it would be naive to expect that the opposition would be welcoming of any initiative or achievement of the BJP-led NDA Government.