Modi’s Vanishing Act: When Terror Strikes, the Circus Leaves Town

 

Modi’s Vanishing Act: When Terror Strikes, the Circus Leaves Town

Terrorists attacked Kashmir again. People died. And Narendra Modi — the man who never misses a rally, a photoshoot, or a chance to rename a stadium after himself — was nowhere to be found. Not at the all-party meeting meant to show national unity. Not leading the country in mourning. Not even offering the decency of serious attention.

But hey, priorities. There's probably a selfie somewhere that still needed perfect lighting.

When blind faith replaces leadership, tragedy is just another news cycle to ride out.
The BJP faithful, ever ready to swap facts for forwarded memes, sprang into action. Instead of demanding accountability for a catastrophic intelligence and policy failure, they regurgitated talking points about the Yamuna River’s “cleaning” — a project so transparently corrupt it could be studied as a masterclass in how to loot under the banner of nationalism.

When asked whether the sources polluting the Yamuna were even being addressed, the conversation, predictably, collapsed. That’s what happens when loyalty is demanded at the cost of reason: the faithful lose the ability to think, question, or even embarrass themselves properly.

The same day, another loyalist popped up, frothing with second-hand rage over Gandhi, Nehru, and a supposed “shameful” comment by Robert Vadra. When pressed for the actual quote? Crickets. Because in the kingdom of cult politics, the outrage is always ready; the facts are permanently out of stock.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, bodies are being carried away in Kashmir, and the Prime Minister has effectively called in sick.

No leadership. No ownership. No plan.

The Armed Forces — built, equipped, and trained over decades by the very governments the BJP loves to mock — are once again left to mop up the blood while the political class does what it does best: posture, distract, and incite.

Terrorism doesn’t thrive in a vacuum. It thrives in countries where governments are too busy dividing their own citizens to govern competently. It thrives where security is outsourced to slogans and genuine grievances are treated like treason.

Stopping water to Pakistan won't fix a leadership deficit. Neither will blaming Nehru for everything from Kashmir to the national unemployment rate. Neither will building another "world's tallest" statue while the ground beneath it rots.

In the aftermath of Pulwama years ago, the BJP machine milked national grief for electoral gold. Now, with another attack staining Kashmir, even the most loyal followers are struggling to defend a government that can’t even show up for its own dead.

India doesn’t just have a terrorism problem. It has a leadership problem. And faith, no matter how blind, won't cover up cowardice forever.