Today in Politics: Govt’s ‘retaliatory options’ after Pahalgam; Bihar election pitch

Lt General DS Hooda, former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command, said both options (a ground operation and aerial strike) are still on the table. “At this stage, the government has taken some pretty strong steps, particularly regarding the Indus Water Treaty. But I wouldn’t at this stage completely rule out the military option.”

“In fact, some targets can be taken out even from your side of the Line of Control. There is the use of attack drones that can be made. I know the Air Force has some attack drones,” said Lt Gen Hooda, who was the Northern Army Commander when the 2016 surgical strikes at Balakot were conducted.

“But it isn’t as if the use of ground forces is completely ruled out. You can use it in different ways. You can have different kinds of targets,” he said.

While he acknowledged that the Line of Control is “heavily guarded”, the terrain is such that “you can find, you can find some vulnerable points, vulnerable targets”. “I wouldn’t completely rule out,” he said at an Idea Exchange interview with The Indian Express.

Insisting that Pakistan’s role is undeniable in the Pahalgam attack, the government sources pointed out that “it has so much to do with Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir” and his interests. The assessment of the government and security agencies is that the Pahalgam attack was probably part of “General Munir’s attempt to gain popularity and create divisions among communities in India in the backdrop of an economic crisis and internal disturbances in Pakistan”, the sources said.

Bihar unemployment

In Bihar, unemployment, poverty and migration have been perennial election issues.

With the state heading to the Assembly polls in October-November this year, major parties have again started building up their campaign on these issues.

The Nitish Kumar-led NDA government and the principal Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have often engaged in “credit wars” for job-creation initiatives, going back to their days in the Mahagathbandhan government before Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) chief, returned to the NDA fold in January 2024.

Last month, the Congress, which is a key constituent of the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, launched a “Palayan Roko, Naukri Do (stop migration, give jobs)” yatra, while the BJP, senior ally of the JD(U), made special efforts with its nine-day Bihar Diwas celebrations to reach out to the Bihari migrants across the country.

The 2011 Census data shows that migration and unemployment are closely linked. Bihar was second only to Uttar Pradesh in terms of the number of migrants spread across the country, including for those who moved to other states for employment.

Of Bihar’s 74.54 lakh out-migrants, 22.65 lakh or 30% said employment was the reason for migration, making it the most cited justification followed by moving with their household at 26.6% and marriage at 24.4%. While work is the primary reason for men to migrate, it is marriage for women. Nationally, 23% of all migrants cited employment as the reason for migration. Again, only UP at 37.35 lakh had more out-migrants who moved for employment.