During his last leg of the Ladakh visit, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday mounted an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming that “One thing is very clear that China has taken away India’s land”.
While addressing a rally in Kargil, Gandhi said, “Ladakh is a strategic location…One thing is very clear China has taken away India’s land. It is sad that the PM in the opposition meeting said that not even an inch of Ladakh has been taken by China. This is a lie.”
He further said, “BJP people know that if you were given representation then they will not be able to take away your land, this is all about land, they (BJP) want to take away your land and give it to Adani so that he can set up his plant but don’t share the benefits with you. But we will never let this happen.”
Taking about his plans to visit Ladakh during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and how because of inclement weather and administrative reasons he was not able to come Gandhi said, “A few months ago, we walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, it was called ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra. The aim was to stand against hatred & violence spread by BJP-RSS in the country…The message that came out of the Yatra was-‘nafrat ke bazaar mein hum mohabbat ki dukaan kholne nikle hain’. In the last few days, I got to see this myself.”
“At the time of the yatra, I could not visit Ladakh due to snow in winter. It was in my heart to conduct the yatra in Ladakh and I took it forward this time on a motorbike,” Gandhi added.
Rahul Gandhi reached Kargil on Thursday evening on his KTM 390 Adventure bike on the last leg of his maiden visit to Ladakh post the revocation of the provisions of Article 370.
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Kargil’s Congress president Nasir Munshi said, “Rahul Gandhi reached Kargil from Zanskar on his motorcycle around 4 pm where he addressed a youth convention of over 350 euphoric attendees cheering for him.”
Gandhi, who rode over 240 kms on his bike to Kargil, assured the youth that he and his party would become “their voice in Parliament and ensure justice with them”.
Earlier, the Congress leader shared several pictures about his journey from Zanskar to Kargil including the one with a group of security personnel on the foothills of a mountain with the caption, “On our frontiers stand the brave children of Bharat Mata – ready to take on any challenge for her sake. A look into their eyes, a heartfelt conversation, or a glimpse into their lives is enough to leave you inspired for a lifetime.”
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Gandhi had reached Leh last Thursday. During his visit to Pangong Lake on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi reiterated that “China has taken away people’s land and they are not being allowed to graze their cattle.”
He went around almost all famous places including Pangong Lake, Nubra Valley, Khardung La top, Lamayuru and Zanskar on a motorcycle during his Ladakh trip which started on August 17. The trip was initially scheduled for only two days. He later extended his tour which Congress termed an extension of Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir from September 7, 2022, to January 30, 2023.
(With inputs from ANI)