In Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi advertised a well-known fact — that his family was Kashmiri. But it was still a good thing to do, as the context is not contentious. Mr Gandhi’s visit was in the company of some of the country’s top industrialists.
This would create curiosity and excitement but also a lot of expectation about investments and jobs — that, in fact, more than anything else. It is rampant unemployment, and the sense of being boxed in that this engenders in the absence of any real connectivity with the pan-India market — and pan-India politics — that frequently spills over into the abyss of secessionist politics, which is exploited by mercenaries of all shades.
If Mr Gandhi’s foray is to have meaning, his contact must go deeper than annual pilgrimages to the home of his forebears. More frequent and focused visits, regular interaction with people of varied backgrounds, and deep-going engagement with the people’s issues are badly needed.
Since Indira Gandhi, no one from the Congress has really understood Kashmir. As for other major parties, none gives evidence of having even a nodding acquaintance with the primary concerns of an area which is of vital strategic value. All-party delegations in bad times, and the labours of official interlocutors, are no substitute for steady political-level involvement with developments in the state. If Mr Gandhi helps fill this gap, and the times are far more propitious for this than before, it would be a big step ahead.