Development is not always the answer: Why PM Modi can't sell Gujarat in Kashmir

Srinagar: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at the historic Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar on Monday, he immediately directed his attack at prominent parties in the state like the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party, “They have ruled here, but what have you got? What did they give you? They did enough for themselves, but nothing for you,” he said, and asked the people to give the BJP a chance at ruling the state. In Kashmir, the BJP had built immense hype around the rally. For a party looking at diving into the turbulent politics of the state, the strategy in Srinagar is simple and far from Delhi; while the regional leaders in Kashmir peddle soft-separatism, the national leaders vow to develop the state that has been ravaged in political turmoil over the last 25 years. One of the leaders, Hina Bhat, who is contesting from Amira Kadal assembly segment in Srinagar, even threatened to pick up a gun if Article 370, which grants the state special status, was to be abrogated. Two issues dominated the public imagination in the run up to the rally. The first was the killing of two innocent boys in Chattergam by a unit of Indian Army in a case of mistaken identity. An Army inquiry into the incident held at least nine members of the unit guilty recently. The killing had triggered a fresh debate on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which grants forces involved in counter-insurgency operations powers to kill with impunity. The act has become a source of much suffering among the people in Kashmir. [caption id=“attachment_1840713” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] PTI[/caption] The second was the recent attack on the Army base in Uri where eight Army jawans including a lieutenant colonel were killed in a daring strike, allegedly by Pakistani terrorists on which Modi was expected to make some remarks. Instead, the Prime Minister kept a curious silence on these issues, and instead focused his speech on corruption and development in the state. “When I became chief minister of Gujarat,” he told the rally, “A devastating earthquake struck Kutch. When I met people there, they told me that when politicians visited them, they always talked about the border with Pakistan and what was going on there. No one talked about their troubles. I asked them what they wanted. They wanted to talk of Kutch and I made this my mantra. I never spoke of Pakistan. I constructed roads, factories, shopping malls and whenever I spoke, I spoke about the grief of people in Kutch, not Pakistan,” he said. Prime Minister Modi said if Kutch was able to grow, Kashmir could also grow and move forward. But the development mantra hasn’t worked in Kashmir; be it for Congress or the BJP, given that there are many seeds of discord sown in the state which can’t be resolved by economic development. Had that been the case, the Kashmir issue would have been resolved under benevolent chief minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad. Development and corruption have become symbols of power that serve the rich of the state, not its ordinary and bruised people. The issue of human rights abuses and daily harassment by armed forces lie at the heart of hatred against India in Kashmir. While Prime Minister Modi was speaking at the podium inside the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium, many residents of Srinagar were asked to stay indoors. There was a complete shutdown in most parts of the city. The man who had come to talk to the people, had them caged, even long after he had left the venue. So, it can be asked: if the people of Kashmir were forced to stay indoors, who was PM Modi addressing? He claimed that the Army taking responsibility for the death of two boys in Chattergam was “proof of his good intentions” but he didn’t utter even one word of comfort to the bereaved families. That is where the proof of the matter lies. You have to begin by addressing these wounds.  That would be mark a significant change in Srinagar. Everything else is pure rhetoric.