There are moments in a nation’s journey when decisions appear abrupt, even disruptive—but history later reveals them as decisive turning points. India has witnessed several such moments since 2014, and behind many of them stands one man whose name rarely seeks the spotlight but invariably shapes outcomes: Ajit Doval. The recent buzz around the film Dhurandhar 2—dismissed by sections of the Opposition as “propaganda”—has inadvertently reopened a conversation the political class would rather avoid: what truly drove some of the Modi government’s boldest decisions, including demonetisation on November 8, 2016. While critics continue to harp on the immediate inconvenience faced by citizens, they conveniently ignore the strategic underpinnings of that move. Demonetisation was not merely an economic exercise; it was a calibrated strike on the shadow networks that fuelled terrorism, particularly fake currency operations run by Pakistan’s ISI. For decades, India had been subjected to a proxy war—“bleeding India with a thousand cuts.” The sudden withdrawal of ₹500 and ₹1000 notes dealt a crippling blow to these networks. Intelligence inputs and subsequent trends in terror financing validated what the political class refused to acknowledge: the ecosystem sustaining cross-border terror took a severe hit. To understand that thinking is to understand Ajit Doval—a former intelligence operative who spent years inside Pakistan, studying its playbook from within. His appointment as National Security Advisor by Narendra Modi in 2014 was not incidental; it was foundational to a shift in India’s security doctrine—from reactive to proactive. This shift was most evident during the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A on August 5, 2019. The doomsday predictions were loud and alarmist. Leaders like Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti warned of rivers of blood if Jammu & Kashmir’s special status was revoked. Yet, what followed was not chaos but calculated calm. The credit lies not just in political will, but in meticulous groundwork. Ajit Doval personally engaged on the ground, ensuring that the transition was managed without large-scale violence.
Contrary to decades of fear-mongering, Jammu & Kashmir integrated more seamlessly into the Indian Union than many had imagined possible. Today, democratic processes are back on track, investment is trickling in, and a region once synonymous with unrest is cautiously scripting a new narrative. Even the Supreme Court of India upheld the abrogation, exposing the hollowness of those who cried constitutional subversion. Ironically, many of these voices belonged to political formations that had historically bent the Constitution to suit dynastic or vote-bank interests, often sidelining even stalwarts like B. R. Ambedkar. The pattern repeats across security decisions. From the surgical strikes post-Uri in 2016 to the Balakot airstrikes after Pulwama in 2019, India demonstrated a willingness to redefine red lines. These were not impulsive reactions but outcomes of a doctrine shaped by clarity, intelligence depth, and strategic patience—hallmarks of Doval’s approach. The Opposition’s discomfort with Dhurandhar 2 is telling. It is not the film that unsettles them, but the narrative it reinforces—that decisive leadership backed by strategic intellect can dismantle entrenched threats. For decades, India was conditioned to absorb blows in the name of restraint. That paradigm has shifted, and figures like Ajit Doval are central to that transformation. Yes, citizens endured hardships during demonetisation. Yes, every bold reform comes with a cost. But to reduce such decisions to mere political theatrics is to ignore the larger national security calculus. Nations are not secured by comfort; they are secured by conviction. As India positions itself as a rising global power—economically resilient, militarily assertive, and diplomatically agile—the role of silent strategists becomes even more critical. Public adulation may often be reserved for elected leaders, but history has a way of recognizing those who operate behind the scenes. Call him what you will—spymaster, strategist, or nationalist—but one description fits best: Ajit Doval is, indeed, India’s real Dhurandhar.
