IT is a pity that one of the strongest contenders for prime minister in India should find it necessary to play the anti-Pakistan card. In a recent speech at Hiranagar in India-held Kashmir, the BJP’s Narendra Modi labelled two of his political rivals “agents of Pakistan” and called them enemies of India. One of the politicians he referred to is A.K. Kejriwal, New Delhi’s former chief minister, who will challenge Mr Modi in Varanasi. Coming from a man whose party could sweep the polls, this kind of demagoguery is disheartening and raises serious questions not only about India’s future relations with Pakistan but also about the general direction that India’s politics and society will take if the BJP is elected to power. Popular passions once aroused can jeopardise efforts to normalise ties. We can relate to this observation, for it is not only the right-wing in Pakistan that indulges in India-bashing, mainstream parties, too, have resorted to it, thus weakening the peace process. But mercifully, Pakistan’s mainstream parties seem to have moved on, for India hardly figured in Pakistan’s last two general elections. Similarly, it would be better for Mr Modi to concentrate on national issues — such as inflation and corruption — and the failure of his political rivals to resolve these. In fact, he would be well-positioned to flaunt his home state’s economic progress during his rule, and promise a similar lift for the entire country, since the corporate sector would want a business-friendly BJP to be in power. Instead, he has chosen to debase the political dialogue.

Already, Mr Modi’s reputation has been tainted by his alleged role in the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, and by demonising Pakistan in his speeches he will only reinforce the image of being anti-Muslim. In Pakistan, while there have been hiccups along the way, overall the PML-N government has shown that it is keen to revive the peace process. Mr Modi would do well to reciprocate and refrain from employing anti-Pakistan rhetoric to win votes.