The Modi government has come under heavy criticism following a promo for the popular Indian TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), which features three serving women officers recounting their involvement in Operation Sindoor. Critics accused the Indian government of politicizing the military and using a popular entertainment platform to push its nationalist agenda.
The episode, which is set to air on August 15, India’s Independence Day, features Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force, and Commander Prerna Deosthalee of the Indian Navy. In the promo, the officers discuss their role in a military confrontation that followed India’s airstrikes in Pakistan in May, in retaliation for an attack on tourists in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Qureshi explains that the operation, known as Operation Sindoor, was necessary because “Pakistan had been doing this for years.” Singh adds that they “ended their game within 25 minutes,” concluding with the statement: “This is a new India, with a new mindset.”
However, the Modi government’s decision to feature these military figures on a mainstream television show sparked backlash. Netizens criticized the move as an attempt to use the military for political gain and manipulate public sentiment through entertainment.
One critic, Snehal, took to X to express frustration, saying, “Our patriotism is being reduced to a spectacle.” Ashok Swain, a professor and critic of the current Indian government, condemned the action, writing, “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.”
The move was also criticized by various political groups, including the Congress party’s Kerala chapter, who argued that such actions were in poor taste and further reflected the government’s politicization of the military.
