Kulgam is preparing for its first assembly election in 10 years, and CPIM leader Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami is vying for his fifth consecutive term, this time as the consensus candidate from Kulgam for the INDIA alliance.

Newslaundry followed his campaign trail through villages and spoke to him about the abrogation of Article 370, the draconian Public Safety Act, and aspirations of the Kashmiri youth.

Tarigami said the central government shouldn’t mistake the silence of the Kashmiri people as acceptance for their decision to downsize the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He said there’s a deep sense of insecurity among the young on being picked up and questioned by the security forces.

He talked about the Public Safety Act, which allows authorities to detain individuals without trial for up to two years for acts that are seen as prejudicial to the security of the state. “All parties have used PSA but it has been used indiscriminately since the abrogation,” he said.

Yousuf is facing his toughest fight from the candidate backed by the Jamaat-e-Islami. We also spoke to Yousuf’s supporters on what they think of their new rival.

Watch.

Small teams can do great things. All it takes is a subscription. Subscribe now and power Newslaundry and The News Minute’s work.