The ruling BJP’s aggressive social media campaign on India’s armed response to the Pahalgam terror attack, calling out its predecessor’s UPA’s alleged passivity brought forth questions from the Congress and criticism from a section of social media users.

Late on Friday night, the BJP official X handle shared a video referring to successive terror attacks during the UPA days in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Hyderabad.

“Then came PM Modi. No more talks. No more peace with a terror supporting nation. He’s on a mission. To send every terrorist to hell,” read the captions on the 31 seconds video, carrying images from the past attacks and also Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The video makes no mention of the attack on the Parliament in New Delhi in December 2001 when the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.

“The message to the enemies is loud and clear. Don’t mess with us! Unlike the UPA regime’s passivity, New India has no patience for futile peace talks,” the post accompanying the video states.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor urged the BJP to delete the post. “At a time when the nation stands united as Indians, this petty attempt to divide us politically is deplorable. Our government has learned the futility of past approaches the hard way – after inviting Pakistan to participate in the investigation of the Pathankot blasts in 2016. It is only then that it took to the path of military action, carefully calibrated and maturely conducted. This advertisement is neither appropriate nor mature. Delete it, please.”

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera asked the BJP whether this was the time to engage in politics. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attacks while the Opposition parties have asked questions to the intelligence failure and the role of the Union home minister Amit Shah, the military action against terror camps operating from Pak soil had received unconditional support.

“So do we have to do politics now? Is it time to do politics? Doesn’t the government need the support of the opposition?” asked Khera in his post. “Do we not have to give a message of unity now? The government and BJP should clarify.”

The Congress has often maintained that military action across the border was not exclusive to the current government. Its leaders have repeatedly claimed that surgical strikes were carried out during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime as well.

In an interview published on May 2, 2019 to a Delhi-based daily, the late former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had confirmed multiple strikes during the UPA days.

“… our armed forces were always given a free hand to operationally respond to every threat. Multiple surgical strikes took place during our tenure too,” Singh had said. “For us, military operations were meant for strategic deterrence and giving a befitting reply to anti-India forces than to be used for vote garnering exercises.”

The former Prime Minister referred to the surgical strikes carried out after Pulwama attack that took place on February 14, 2019 and killed 40 CRPF personnel. The BJP went to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls making the surgical strikes a poll plank and swept the polls.

While there is no official record in the public domain that details each of these strikes in the same way as the post-Uri operations, the Congress has continued to defend its legacy on national security and counterterrorism, especially when confronted with accusations of inaction.

The Congress leader Rajiv Shukla too had detailed a series of such operations at a press conference in New Delhi, stating, India conducted six surgical strikes between 2008 and 2014, when the UPA was in power.

The first of these, he said, was conducted on June 19, 2008, in the Bhattal Sector in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch. The second operation took place from August 30 to September 1, 2011, in the Sharda sector, across the Neelam River Valley in Kel. A third strike occurred on January 6, 2013, at the Sawan Patra Checkpost.

Two more followed in July and August 2013, in Nazapir Sector and Neelam Valley respectively. The final strike in the list was said to have been carried out on January 14, 2014.

Actor Gul Panag wrote: “The nation today stands united, across the political spectrum. After a very long time. Please don’t play politics at this time.”

On X, several users voiced their disapproval. One post read, “Alas, BJP and its infamous IT Wing at it again.” Another wrote, “It is time to stop these pathetic political propagandas. BJP as the ruling party must first stop all such activities taking digs at opposition at this time.”

A third user said, “Pathetic post by the BJP. What makes it even more pathetic that it’s being done at this time when the nation is united.” Others called for the Prime Minister’s Office to step in, noting, “All these SM handles are run by clueless kids. Grow up guys.”