THE promise of peace without fear in Kashmir, as highlighted by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi in his public speech in Udhampur, appears far more important than anything else at this point in time. Even as the Prime Minister assured that legislative elections, too, would be held in Jammu and Kashmir soon, he seemed to have punctured the political balloon of the Opposition propaganda that the Central Government was avoiding holding legislative elections in the State. He assured the country that Kashmir will soon have legislative elections as well. In other words, the Prime Minister debunked all by himself the doubts that the Opposition was trying to spread in Kashmir and about Kashmir. Thus, Mr. Modi made statements far more profound and meaningful than the Opposition propaganda. The Prime Minister was candid and straightforward in his statements and answered all doubts dancing in people’s minds -- on his own volition. He made it clear that stone-pelting on security personnel in Kashmir has stopped totally. Markets have opened and people visit shopping areas to make even late-evening purchases and move back home without any untoward incidents. Fear of terrorism has been wiped off people’s thought.

 

Against such a background, the Kashmir region will go to polls in the next some days. This election, thus, is taking place without any of the negative aspects that often afflicted Kashmir’s public life. This is no mean a gain, given the 70-plus years of mis-rule under this or that pretext. The common people of Kashmir had never experienced such an atmosphere in the past many decades. The Prime Minister highlighted this very well in his speech. He said, in effect, that Kashmir will see elections taking place in a free and fair manner -- beyond petty politics and threat. By asserting thus, Mr. Modi only made clear to the nation his Government’s credentials as regards democracy and rule of law plus welfarism. The Opposition, therefore, will have no face to go, nowhere to hide its face. It had been making all sorts of allegations on the basis of implied interpretation of events in the country under the Modi-Government. All those allegations got answered effectively through the Prime Minister’s speech.

 

This is the actual gain of the abrogation of Articles of 370 and 35A of the Constitution from Kashmir. Seen from this angle, the Opposition’s claim that it will bring back Special Status to Kashmir if it happens to win the election, appears so terribly hollow and meaningless. Such diatribes do not make any profound point not just in electoral politics but also elsewhere in public life. The Prime Minister made this point so effectively through his speech at a public rally attracting countless thousands of people from different parts of the Kashmir region. What counts most in democracy is an atmosphere without fear when people can live life of their choice -- political, professional and personal. When elections take place without fear, the outcome is always the fairest. Kashmir will have all that from now onwards. This was the nation’s dream for Kashmir -- and it is being realised after a dark period stretching for decades. For the Indian nation, this is a situation that everybody waited for in Kashmir and about Kashmir -- in the process proving that Kashmir more fully integrated with India in practical terms.