Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is favored to get a second term in office in the country ’s enormous general election, continued in periods since April 19. While there are many concerns about what another Modi expression could mean for the region, citizens in the Muslim-majority northern region of Kashmir are especially cautious.
Modi visited the Kashmir money, Srinagar, in early March in a bid to win Kashmiri hearts and minds – his second visit since his government dubiously stripped the place of its semi-autonomous standing in 2019.
Amid a large safety appearance, Modi promised over$ 774 million worth of development initiatives to boost the economy and commerce in the region.
Whether this is enough to appease Kashmiri electors remains to be seen. Some people have been made to feel like second-class people under Modi’s Hindu patriotic state and have dull views that things will improve if he wins another term in office.
Control revoked
Since Modi was sworn in as India’s 14th excellent secretary in 2014, he has taken a very muscular approach to Kashmir.
Pledging to suppress a dissident movement that has been fighting the Indian state since the 1980s, his government greatly increased its safety presence in the region and launched a special function to root out Kashmir’s criminal cells.
Therefore, in a watershed moment for the area in 2019, his government revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which had granted special permissions to local people and gave the place its own constitution and flag and the ability to produce its own rules.
Modi also redefined domicile rules, making it easier for non-Kashmiris to obtain jobs, land and permanent residency in the region.
The scrapping of Article 370 was recently upheld by the Supreme Court, a key victory for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party ( BJP) before the election.
Human rights abuses and crackdowns on civil liberties have also worsened in the region since 2014. This has included draconian clampdowns on the internet and other communications, strict curfews and the detentions of activists and journalists.
As part of my PhD research in 2020-21, I conducted online interviews with numerous Kashmiris in Srinagar and the surrounding areas and found the revocation of Article 370 had taken away any hope they had and led to a overwhelming sense of betrayal.
Some struggled to describe their feelings, while others said the move was completely unconstitutional and a political disaster. My interview participants said there were protests all over Kashmir after the revocation, but according to one working in journalism, these were very much underreported at the time.
Since then, Modi has done very little to address concerns that Kashmiris may have for their future. Instead, he is actively encouraging development projects and tourism in the region, raising fears about his party ’s settler-colonial ambitions in Kashmir, particularly the Kashmir Valley.
Can local elections bring change?
Elections for Kashmir’s legislature are also expected to take place by September. The region has not had a local government since the revocation of its special status in 2019; since then it has been directly ruled by New Delhi.
If local elections do go ahead, this may be seen as an attempt by New Delhi to show some normality in the region and demonstrate the central government’s dedication to reinstating a fully functioning democracy. It may also result in Kashmiris feeling more included and involved in wider Indian politics.
However, in his recent visit to Srinagar, Modi failed to mention the likelihood of the local elections, which adds the feelings his government is ignoring the grievances of residents. These include the effects of the revocation of Article 370, the limited economic prospects in the region, and the treatment of Muslim Kashmiris in the rest of India.
Further, the area still remains heavily militarized, raising the question of just how successful Modi has been in uniting Kashmir with the rest of India, especially since Kashmiris still do not have the same freedoms and liberties as other Indians.
Many Kashmiris also fear the spread of disinformation prior to the election, especially if it propagates negative stereotypes associating residents with terrorist organizations. This could have a negative impact on Kashmiri political parties, discrediting their status as representatives of the Kashmiri people.
Kashmir’s future
It is important to note that Modi’s support comes not only from the Hindu majority. Some Muslims in Kashmir will support the BJP for tribal caste reasons, as well as out of the belief the party could bring more jobs or economic prospects to the region.
Nonetheless, many Kashmiris believe a continuation of BJP leadership could result in additional human rights abuses, the loss of land or jobs to outsiders from the south and further alienation from the central government.
Ultimately, if Modi wins an unprecedented third term, this will cement the decisions that have already been made in the region. And this means the future for many Kashmiris will remain bleak in what is purported to be the world’s largest democracy.
Leoni Connah is a lecturer in government at Flinders University.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.