“Pakistan ka poorn sanhaar, poorn desh ki ab ek pukar.”
Loosely translated to ‘the total destruction of Pakistan is the entire nation’s call’.
This was one of the posters at the 10-day Tiranga Yatra which kicked off in Delhi on Tuesday. While the call was given by the BJP, it was organised under the banner of Citizens for National Security.
Aimed at celebrating the success of Operation Sindoor, the yatra saw people from all walks of life and several BJP politicians, including Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Ashish Sood, Bansuri Swaraj, among others.
Replete with patriotic songs and chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai, the rally, which began at Kartavya Path and ended at the National War Memorial, saw school children, NCC cadets, and people from various professions walk with the tricolour in hand.
“Operation Sindoor has shown that there is Sita, Kali, and Durga in India – now which power you will face depends on your behaviour with us,” said Saurabh Kumar, a BJP worker from Najafgarh. Kumar insisted the ceasefire was a strategic move, suggesting that Pakistan had requested for it after facing decisive blows. “We heard all the news about Karachi, Islamabad, and even about attacks on Pakistan’s nuclear base. But since we know it’s already in a dire condition, we decided to leave it.”
Nirmal Chahal, a resident of Rohini, called Operation Sindoor a success while objecting to the online trolling targeting Foreign Secretary Misri’s daughter. “Targeting and abusing someone at such a high post is not right,” she said.
Lalu Prasad, a retired government worker and BJP member from Prayagraj, said Operation Sindoor was all the miracle of Prime Minister Naredra Modi, the Army, and India.
“Yesterday, just as Modi ji said – if we receive a bullet, we will respond with a bomb. And we stand by that.” According to him, Pakistan “started crying and begging for mercy,” prompting America to step in “like a sarpanch,” leading to the ceasefire.
“America has always helped Pakistan – the same Pakistan which was behind 9/11, gave refuge to Osama Bin Laden – and yet they supported Pakistan to weaken India,” he remarked.
Dr Harish Gupta, a doctor present at the rally, said, “We save the country by saving lives, but we are here today to appreciate the real saviours – the army men of our country. Operation Sindoor is a success. Modiji’s leadership has made this new India possible…The ceasefire has been done correctly. We wanted to teach a lesson to terrorism, and we did. Whoever supports terrorism — whether internally or externally — we have no place for them.”
The participants were joined by school children, full of enthusiasm, cheering loudly for Operation Sindoor. One such student, Aryan, said, “I want to join the forces and fight against Pakistan to destroy them,” echoing the combative mood shared by many of his classmates.
Some also celebrated the ceasefire, opining discussions, and not a war, would be a solution to the unease between the two nations.
“It is good that the ceasefire happened. Nobody wants war if a solution can be reached with understanding and discussions,” said Avantika Kumari, an NGO worker at the rally.
There were also men in uniform – both Delhi Police and Civil Defence personnel – present throughout the procession. One officer said many of them had joined voluntarily. As the rally advanced, some of the officers were seen dancing to Mere Desh Ki Dharti.
Sunil Jaiswal, a BJP supporter from Mayur Vihar, blamed Pakistan for spreading fake news. “Pakistan has spread fabricated news – 90 per cent of their news is fake. Pakistani news channels shouldn’t be believed. We should only follow Indian news channels. But when we are excited, some people might say more – it’s all about love for the nation.”
Subhash Chandra Mehta, also from Rohini, recalled memories of both the 1971 and 1999 Indo-Pak wars, and believed the ceasefire came too soon.
“It was all under America’s pressure to stop trade that Pakistan requested the ceasefire,” he claimed.
“Any winning side wouldn’t want a ceasefire – and we were so close to winning. This is also not a ceasefire, but rather a break. Operation Sindoor is still going on.”
While many participants admitted to their affiliation with the BJP, they were also quick to stress that their participation was voluntary and motivated by their pride in the Armed Forces. “We joined the rally of our free will,” said several attendees, “and it was all for the martyred army men and the pride we feel in Bharat.”
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