Row Over Operation Sindoor Message on Train Tickets: Opposition Says Govt 'Using War as Opportunity'

Opposition parties, unimpressed by this new publicity benchmark, have condemned it as the blatant politicisation of military operations for electoral gain, while social media users have also found it in poor taste.

The Wire Staff

row over operation sindoor message on train tickets opposition says govt using war as opportunity

An 'Operation Sindoor' advertisement/message on IRCTC e-ticket shared on social media. Photo: Reddit/peakky_devil

New Delhi: It seems a “new normal” has indeed been set, at least for government advertising. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government has found a new way to promote Operation Sindoor – by plastering it on Indian Railways e-tickets, including an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi saluting. This has predictably sparked criticism in political circles.

Opposition parties, unimpressed by this new publicity benchmark, have condemned it as the blatant politicisation of military operations for electoral gain. Many social media users also found it in poor taste.

The advertisement in question reportedly featured Modi, with a slogan declaring: “Operation Sindoor ne aatank ke khilaf ladai me ek nayi lakeer kheech di hai, ek naya paimana, new normal taye kar diya hai (Operation Sindoor has drawn a new line in the fight against terror… a new benchmark, a new normal has been set).”

If that wasn't clear enough, another line, in the party’s saffron colour, translated from Hindi, proclaimed, “Five years of a government committed to ending terrorism and extremism,” linking military actions to the current government’s report card.

The opposition is not buying this particular brand of patriotism. Manickam Tagore, AICC member and Congress’s Lok Sabha whip, quipped on X (formerly Twitter), "#OperationSindoor is now being sold like a shampoo – printed on railway tickets, advertised like a product." He also pointedly asked about other matters, "While Trump claims 4 times he mediated and a #ceasefire was achieved, Modi won’t deny it once. No denial, just marketing."

Bahujan Samaj Party MP Kunwar Danish Ali chimed in, accusing Prime Minister of seeing ‘war and martyrdom as opportunities,’ and acidly termed promoting Mr. Modi’s image over that of soldiers as the “height of narcissism.”

Piyush Babele, an advisor to senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who helped publicise the ticket, accused the government of being “advertisement-obsessed” and “selling the military’s valour like a product,” specifically to woo voters in Bihar.

The Indian Railways, for its part, responded earnestly. Official Dilip Kumar told India Today that the Railways was “proud” of the armed forces for Operation Sindoor’s success, describing the ads as a “tribute” and part of a “nationwide campaign to spread the message”.

Meanwhile, IRCTC PRO VK Bhatti told Dainik Bhaskar English that the message printed on tickets is not an advertisement but simply a message being shared with the public.

This fresh publicity drive followed the BJP's recent commencement of 'Tiranga Yatra', another grand tour showcasing national security achievements, particularly in states like Bihar with upcoming polls.

This article went live on May nineteenth, two thousand twenty five, at forty minutes past seven in the evening.

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