New Delhi, Aug 25: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday vowed to raise in Parliament the issues of the people of Ladakh as he alleged that their “political voice” was being suppressed and the promises of the central government on employment had turned out to be “false”.
Gandhi has been touring the Union Territory of Ladakh for the past week.
“I went to every corner of Ladakh and talked to the youth, mothers and sisters and the poor. There are other leaders who only talk about their ‘Mann Ki Baat’. I want to listen to your ‘Mann Ki Baat’,” the former Congress president said in an apparent swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio broadcast.
“China has snatched away thousands of kilometers of India’s land. The prime minister is lying by denying this and every person in Ladakh knows this,” Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
He said the main issues of Ladakh are that the political voice of the people here is being “suppressed”, all the promises of the government on employment have turned out to be “false” and the lack of mobile network and air connectivity.
“I will raise all these issues in Parliament in the next session,” Gandhi said and thanked Ladakh for the welcome and love he had received.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post in Hindi on X, said that taking forward the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi met the people of Ladakh.
In the spirit of the foot march, he listened to their thoughts, he said.
“It is clear after listening to these problems that the Modi government has left Ladakh to fend itself. Leaders who are only interested in their ‘Mann Ki Baat’ can never allow the people’s voice to be heard,” Ramesh said.
Gandhi reached Ladakh on August 17, his first visit to the region since it was granted UT status after being carved out from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was also turned into a Union Territory with its special status under Article 370 revoked.
Over the past week, Gandhi visited several parts of Ladakh, including Pangong lake, Nubra valley, Khardungla top, Lamayuru and Zanskar, on his motorcycle before reaching Kargil on Thursday.
Gandhi on Friday also visited the Kargil War Memorial in Drass and paid rich tributes to the Indian Army personnel who sacrificed their lives during the 1999 war with Pakistan.
The memorial is located on the 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highway and about five km from the city centre across the Tiger Hill, Kargil.
“Kargil is not just a place, it is a saga of valour. It is the land many of our soldiers served in and resonates with their courage and sacrifice. This is the pride of India and all Indians realise their sense of responsibility towards the country. I bow to all the brave soldiers and martyrs of Kargil War,” Gandhi wrote on his social media accounts. (PTI)
