Netizens have slammed India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after a promo ahead of the country’s Independence Day showed military officials appearing on the long-running gameshow Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) to propagate Indian version of the clash with Pakistan earlier this month.

 

As per the details, the promo for KBC Season 17’s Independence Day Special, featuring India’s Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Commander Prerna Deosthalee, was released on Wednesday.

 

While Pakistanis trolled India for attempting to spin the humiliation it faced as a result of Pakistani armed forces’ decisive response to cross-border aggression in May, the promo did not seem to sit well with Indians either.

 

“Modi is so afraid of losing the narrative that he sends 3 uniformed military officers to a private channel to explain to a Bollywood spineless star why his ‘Operation Sindoor’ was planned against Pakistan. Modi shamelessly using army for his hate politic[s],” wrote Ashok Swai, a professor of peace and conflict research at Sweden’s Uppsala University.

 

 

Another user asked about the professionalism of the Indian army as its officials chose a gameshow to explain the clashes. “How is this even allowed for someone in service? The current regime is shamelessly using our forces for its petty politics and hyper nationalism.”

 

One of the users pointed out that the officers participated in the gameshow on a private entertainment channel in full uniform. “No serious country will permit this but then this is New India under Narendra Modi [sic],” they wrote.

 

 

Another user called Indian premier Modi out for milking the army for political gains. “No low is too low for The Illegal Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Milking the army for political gains by sending army officers to a quiz show in their uniforms, to run the government propaganda,” they wrote.

 

 

“In Modi times, everything is a spectacle. But why [a]r[e] we surprised… Op Sindoor was a spectacle,” wrote another.

 

Indian journalist Sushant Singh said they must have changed the dress regulations of the three services to allow this.

 

Another user said, “So Modi has ordered Army officers to go to a private channel, a private Quiz show in Uniform, so that he can get some brownie points for Operation Sindoor Unreal milking in the name of our forces. I am sure 99% officers would find this problematic [sic].”