Is PM Modi right in raking up Balakot for political gains?

The Pulwama attack and the subsequent Balakot strikes have found the highest resonance during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election rallies.

On a day when over 200 people were killed in a series of blasts in Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issues of national security, terrorism and the air strike in Pakistan in two separate election rallies in Rajasthan, suggesting that India had not maintained a nuclear arsenal "for Diwali".

In Barmer, Modi brought up the air strike to say that "we killed terrorists in their home". In Chittorgarh, he asked voters to remember that they are "voting against terrorism when they press the Lotus", the BJP's party symbol, on voting day.

The Opposition parties have charged the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with trying to extract electoral mileage from the Balakot air strikes conducted by the Indian Air Force.

While it is a debatable topic whether the nationalistic discourse of "having taught Pakistan a lesson" would influence voting behaviour, it has also raised question like is it right on part of Narendra Modi, prime minster of a country to exlpoit the security and national issues for political gains. What is your take on this?