New Delhi: India’s general election is due to begin in April. Narendra Modi, the prime minister, is in campaign mode. This week he embarked on a ten-day tour of the country to extol his government’s achievements at massive rallies. His visit on Thursday to Srinagar, the biggest city in Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, will be particularly significant.

It is Mr Modi’s first trip to the city since his government in 2019 removed the additional autonomy given to the state by India’s constitution. The amendment fulfilled a long-standing promise by Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. It pleased the party’s Hindu-nationalist supporters, who had objected to the state’s special status. But now the federal government subjects Kashmiris to direct rule, lockdowns and restrictions on internet use. Mr Modi’s government insists that the changes have brought peace and prosperity; disaffected Kashmiris disagree. But they are not Mr Modi’s target audience: on Thursday in Srinagar he will be speaking to the rest of India.