Modi Kashmir Flood Relief May Earn Goodwill in Hostile State
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up the military’s operation to save thousands from floods in Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir, where his Hindu nationalist party will contest elections this year.
More than 300,000 military personnel and 300 jets, choppers and boats have swarmed the northern state, rescuing more than 77,500 residents after a week of rain caused riverbanks to burst. This is the first major disaster faced by Modi’s administration, which in May won federal elections with the strongest mandate in 30 years. His Bharatiya Janata Party has never formed the government in Kashmir.