India under Modi fifth biggest geopolitical risk of 2020: report

The world’s leading political risk consultancy, Eurasia Group has said that India under Narendra Modi is the fifth biggest geopolitical risk of 2020.

According to a report by Eurasia Group,  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spent much of his second term promoting controversial social policies at the expense of an economic agenda.

It said the Modi government’s social agenda will also have “harmful effects for India’s foreign policy and its actions on human rights will be under closer scrutiny by many nations, and its reputation will take a hit.

The recent changes brought in by Modi in his second term include the revocation of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir through an ‘illegal act’ that was passed by Parliament.

“The government also passed a law that, for the first time, makes religion a criterion for migrants from neighboring countries to formally acquire Indian citizenship,” said the report.

“The Modi government’s social agenda will also have “harmful effects for India’s foreign policy”, the report adds further.

Meanwhile, in occupied Kashmir, an atmosphere of fear and intimidation continues to prevail in the Kashmir Valley and Muslim majority areas of Jammu region as Indian military lockdown entered the 157th consecutive day, on Wednesday.

There is no letup in the sufferings of the people of the Kashmir Valley due to restrictions imposed under Section 144 and heavy deployment of Indian troops by India.