The Prime Minister sounded the poll bugle during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir by preaching the virtues of democracy in a centrally administered territory which does not have an elected government. Amusingly, he emphasised that democracy has reached the grassroots level in the state. Yes, the frequent internet shutdowns, detention of former CMs, arbitrary arrests under AFSPA and imposition of sedition charges on locals opposed to the saffron ideology are markers of this chimera named democracy in the UT and the rest of the country. Modi’s visit is nothing more than a nudge to the Delimitation Commission to quickly redraw the assembly and parliamentary constituencies so that elections can be held along with Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh at the end of the year. No one seems to notice that abrogation of article 370 has done little for the UT --youth are still jobless, the tourism-driven economy continues to be in the doldrums, terrorism is still rife, there is virtually no equity investment in the industrial sector and not one Kashmiri pandit has returned to the valley despite the Centre’s reassurances. Of course, the brief sojourn was garnished with the laying of foundation stones for a slew of projects to mould public opinion in BJP’s favour.
