Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first speech in a major city in Indian-administered Kashmir since abolishing its semi-autonomous status in 2019, said the move would bring development and prosperity to the region's population. he claimed.
“I am working hard to win everyone's hearts,” PM Modi told a rally in Srinagar on Thursday, adding that a large number worth $777 million to boost the agrarian economy and tourism in the disputed region announced a development project.
“Currently, there is no Article 370, so the talents of the youth of Jammu and Kashmir are fully respected and are getting new opportunities. Everyone here today has equal rights and equal opportunities. ” he said, referring to a clause in the constitution that gives special status to Muslim-majority areas, which is also claimed by neighboring Pakistan.
“The country is watching your smiles… [and] I was relieved to see everyone happy,'' he said, concluding his 27-minute speech by praying for people's safety during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins next week.
But independent analysts and many Kashmiris say New Delhi and Prime Minister Modi's party offer a more substantive political message aimed at appealing to a region where their party has long had tense relations. He said that he was disappointed in the Prime Minister's speech, which many people had expected.
2019 break
For decades, abrogating Article 370 has been a core issue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-majority Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in order to “fully integrate” the region with the rest of India. This provision allowed the region to have its own laws and prohibited outsiders from purchasing land or obtaining jobs locally.
However, the Modi government divided the former state into two regions, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, and placed them under New Delhi's direct rule. To suppress street protests against the action, the government launched a security crackdown and restricted civil liberties and press freedom.
Defending the controversial move, the government said New Delhi's direct rule would bring progress to Kashmir and stamp out an armed rebellion against New Delhi's rule that began in 1989. Since then, tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict. Transforming the Himalayan territory into one of the most militarized regions in the world.
However, the BJP's move was opposed by Kashmiris who feared that the government was trying to change the region's demographics by allowing people from other parts of India to settle and invest.
“This is the new Jammu and Kashmir that we have been waiting for for decades,” Modi said ahead of national elections in April and May in which he is seeking a third consecutive term.
“We let the viewers down.”
However, residents said they did not have high expectations for the prime minister's visit and that their grievances were not addressed in his speech.
“The biggest hope was the restoration of statehood. The second could have been the restoration of democracy because the central government had ruled for too long. The people have no voice here,” the official said. said a 33-year-old Kashmiri man who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals.
Local elections have not been held in the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir since 2014. The then-formed government was dissolved by the central BJP government in 2018.
In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the abolition of special status but said state elections must be held by September of this year. But on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi gave no guarantees in his speech about the holding of the vote.
“The two things people wanted to hear were elections and statehood dates,” Radha Kumar, a New Delhi-based academic who has researched the Kashmir conflict extensively, told Al Jazeera.
“On both counts, Prime Minister Modi has disappointed his audience,” she said. “One would have expected him to reassure that the elections would be held on time. Surprisingly, there were no references.”
But Zameer Ahmad, a member of the People's Party in Kashmir's Kupwara district, defended Modi's visit, saying it gave residents an opportunity to discuss their issues. He said, “We have a future because the Bharatiya Janata Party will win elections. I think the Prime Minister will listen to us and resolve our issues.”
Government officials mobilized as a crowd
Prime Minister Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party does not play a significant role in Indian-administered Kashmir. Several government officials, including teachers, said ministries and offices had effectively ordered around 20,000 people to attend Mr. Modi's rally. Many schools in the area were closed for the day.
“I could barely sleep and left home at 4am. It was a forced job,” said Ahmad, 45, an employee from Anantnag district, 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Srinagar, where the event was held. He spoke to Al Jazeera outside a soccer stadium in the city.
A female teacher from south Kashmir said she felt no excitement about the event. She said, “I can't say anything. We were instructed by the administration to come.”
Mehbooba Mufti, the region's last elected prime minister, criticized the government for mobilizing its staff for the rally.
“This visit is solely aimed at addressing and galvanizing the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party's core constituency across India for the upcoming parliamentary elections,” she posted on X.
