"Log toot jaate hain ek ghar banane mein/Tum taras nahin khaate bastiyan jalaane mein”( People break themselves apart just to build a single home/Yet you feel no pity while burning down entire settlements)
When the entire opposition was critical about the timing of his visit to Israel and the subsequent diplomatic stand of the Indian Prime Minister, the above Basir Badr’s haunting Urdu couplet provides a chillingly accurate lens for India’s current diplomatic stance.
In this context, the couplet suggests that while ordinary people spend lifetimes building their worlds, the Indian leadership’s "strategic silence" effectively ignores the destruction of entire communities in the Middle East.
In a truly shocking twist of "strategic genius," the Indian Prime Minister looked at India’s dusty, decades-old foreign policy vis-a-vis Palestine and Israel and realized it was basically a moth-eaten sweater that desperately needed a trendy Israeli upgrade.
Even as opposition leaders at home were busy shouting "moral cowardice" over his dramatics to avoid facing the opposition in the Lok Sabha, he was busy scouting for the latest in defense tech and strategic handshakes with Benjamin Netanyahu.
During his star turn at the Knesset, he assured Israel that India stands "firmly with full conviction", a conviction so strong it apparently includes a vow of silence regarding certain, minor inconveniences vis-à-vis Joint military aggressions of US and Israel on Iran.
Amidst a rapidly escalating conflict in West Asia, India is performing a delicate diplomatic balancing act that observers describe as a high-stakes "game of silence”.
Following a historic state visit to Israel in February 2026, the Prime Minister Narendra has focused his public statements on solidarity with the UAE and calls for general restraint, while notably avoiding direct condemnation of the joint U.S.-Israel military strikes on Iran or the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader.
While the Indian government describes its current stance as a "Special Strategic Partnership," many analysts are framing India’s recent actions as a policy of "Selective Solidarity."
By refusing to condemn Israeli strikes on Iran and declining to sign international statements critical of Tel Aviv, New Delhi has signalled a significant departure from its historical neutral ground.
While domestic critics call this shift "moral cowardice," supporters see it as a masterclass in ideological clarity, prioritizing civilizational survival over diplomatic niceties.
Beyond defense deals and technology, several political experts suggest that India’s silence is rooted in a deeper ideological alignment.
They argue that the current administration is observing Israel’s "playbook" for potential application within India’s own borders.
Political analysts argue that this alliance goes far beyond defense contracts; it is a calculated alignment with Israel’s method of maintaining a strong state. For the proponents of Hindutva, Israel serves as the ultimate blueprint for the envisioned "Hindu Rashtra".
To put it simply, experts believe Israel provides a "successful" example for the Indian government to follow. It shows that a country can treat a specific minority as an "internal enemy" while still being respected on the world stage.
The Prime Minister’s refusal to condemn Israeli strikes on Iran or the situation in Gaza is seen by ideological supporters not as "hesitation," but as a strategic endorsement.
By standing "firmly with full conviction" at the Knesset, India has signalled that it respects the right of a nation to protect its core identity through military might.
For the architects of the Hindutva project, the takeaway from Tel Aviv is chillingly pragmatic: a nation can gut the soul of its democracy and replace it with a hardline majoritarian engine without ever losing its seat at the global table.
This "Selective Solidarity" is a calculated smoke screen. While the international community is distracted by the fires in West Asia, New Delhi is using the chaos to accelerate its own domestic overhaul.
By mimicking the Israeli model, the leadership is learning how to keep the "decorations" of democracy, the courts, the elections, the diplomatic handshakes, while systematically consolidating the core agenda of a "Hindu Rashtra."
It is an unapologetic transformation that proves you can kill the spirit of a free society as long as you keep the corpse looking presentable for your global allies and to consolidate domestic politics of Hindutva ideological interests.
