Not a Vishwaguru not indispensable: Nijjar-Pannun episodes reveal India’s delusions of power

There was no better metaphor for the present government’s exaggerated sense of the country’s global power and capability than the macho manner in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently walked off a Tejas light combat aircraft and claimed that it had renewed his confidence in the country’s “indigenous capabilities”. Indeed, Tejas is an indigenously built aircraft, built over decades. However, it is far from being operationally ready and capable. The Indian Air Force will continue to depend on imported aircraft to bolster its power and reach.

Imparting a false sense of pride and confidence to the people is par for the course in the game of domestic politics. It serves little purpose in the game of national power projection. India’s adversaries know very well the extent of the import dependence of India’s armed forces. All credit to this government for recognising this and promoting “atmanirbharta” in defence. However, in misleading the public, sometimes the political leadership runs the risk of believing its own propaganda.

Something like this has happened with respect to the alleged assassination plots in Canada and the United States that have now come to light. Did India’s national security managers really imagine that they could get away with it? Was the political leadership in the know? Was it ill-advised?