NEW DELHI: With India finding itself friendless in the conflict with Pakistan, it has started taking revenge on countries who helped Islamabad in the recent military flare-up, reports said on Friday.

The bizarre spectacle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s supporters resorting to criticism and trolling of US President Donald Trump after he re-hyphenated the India-Pakistan saga as a bilateral issue he could help resolve, the anger turned on Turkiye and Azerbaijan.

Regarding Turkiye, the Adani group-operated Mumbai and Ahmedabad airports have ended the ground handling concession agreements with Çelebi, an Istanbul-headquartered airport ground handling major. Air India is lobbying with the government to cancel the wet lease arrangement the Indigo Airlines has with its Turkish counterpart.

While the move against Turkish Airlines is being considered, the two airports have ordered Çelebi to immediately hand over all its ground handling facilities in order to ensure uninterrupted operations at the airports, The Indian Express, citing a statement by the two airports, reported.

The recent development follows a similar announcement by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) on Thursday which further strained ties with Çelebi entities for ground handling and cargo operations at the national capital’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

“We will continue to provide seamless service to all airlines without disruptions through new ground handling agencies selected by us. All existing employees of Celebi at CSMIA (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai) and SVPIA (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmed­abad) will be transferred to new ground handling agencies on their existing terms and conditions of employment. Ground handling operations at our airports will remain unaffected,” the Indian Express quoted the spokespersons for the two airports as saying.

The anger has turned on the Muslim army spokeswoman as well who was the face of the military operation against Pakistan. A BJP minister from Madhya Pradesh described her as a sister of terrorists. A high court judge in Madhya Pradesh has ordered an FIR against the politician Vijay Shah.

Not to relent, the BJP’s demons continue to stalk it. Now Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda has courted another row after he made statements allegedly insulting the armed forces, saying that the “personnel were bowing down to Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

Speaking at a civil defence volunteers event in Jabalpur on Friday, Mr. Devda said: “Today the entire country, the country’s army and our soldiers bow down at the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The reply he has given cannot be praised enough.”

The remarks, however, have drawn immediate criticism from the opposition Congress with leaders alleging that the BJP has a “sponsored programme” running to insult the forces and demanding an apology from him.

Political reactions poured in across party lines over the insulting remarks against Col Sofiya Qureshi.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questioned Mr Modi’s silence, calling the remarks “disgraceful” and a reflection of a “diseased mindset.”

Similar criticism was voiced by leaders, including Sachin Pilot, Y.S. Sharmila, Harish Rawat, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati, and Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghosh.

State Congress leaders, including MPCC chief Jitu Patwari, filed police complaints across multiple cities, while party workers held demonstrations in protest.

The military flare-up saw China expressing solid diplomatic support to Pakistan, but there wasn’t a country other than Israel to stand with India without hyphenating it with Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2025