Rahul Gandhi (IANS)
KARGIL: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday once again trained his guns at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the statement that not a single inch of land has been occupied by anyone, saying "it is a lie as China has occupied thousands of kms of land of India".
Addressing a public meeting here, Rahul Gandhi, who has been in the union territory of Ladakh for the past eight days said, “Ladakh is a strategic location and after coming here, especially, when I was at the Pangong Tso Lake, it is clear that the China has taken thousands of kms of land of India. And it is unfortunate that Prime Minister Modi in the opposition meeting said that not a single inch of land of Ladakh has been taken away by anyone. This is a lie.”
“Every person in Ladakh knows that China has taken the land of India and the Prime Minister is not ready to speak,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi had visited the Pangong Tso lake area on August 20 and also celebrated the birthday of his late father and former Prime MInister Rajiv Gandhi. He paid floral tributes to his father at Pangong Tso lake, where a programme was organised on his 79th birth anniversary.
He also hailed the role of the people of Ladakh during the wars. “Role of yours (Ladakh) and the Kargil, whenever India has needed you, whenever a war was there on borders, then people of Kargil stood with India in a single voice. This you have not done for one time but on many occasions,” the Congress leader said.
Discussing his Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started from Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari on September 7 last year and culminating in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar on January 30 this year, Rahul Gandhi said that the aim of the yatra was to end the hatred and violence being spread by the BJP and the RSS. “And we tried to end that by spreading love with the slogan ‘Nafrat ke bazaar me ham mohabbat ki dukan kholne nikle hai’. And this is your thinking. In the last few days I have seen it.”
He said that the yatra was not supposed to end in Srinagar and it was supposed to come to Ladakh "but at that time it was winter and heavy snow and even the administration advised us not to come. Thus we agreed to it."
“But it was our motto to reach Ladakh, we took a step and I went to all corners of Ladakh, not on the padayatra but through bike,” he said.
He said that he spoke with many people in Ladakh and tried to understand what was in their heart.
Taking a jibe at the Prime Minister without taking his name over his monthly radio broadcast programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ he said, “There is another leader, who keeps on talking about his ‘Mann ki Baat ', but I thought to hear your ‘dil ki baat’.
“One thing is clear, the ideology of Mahatma Gandhiji and Congress is in the blood and the DNA of people of Ladakh,” he said.
He also said that he went to all the corners of the Ladakh region and met several people working from different states of India and everyone said that they are thousand kms away from home and family, but they feel that Ladakh is their second home.
“Whatever hardship we feel here, people of Ladakh help us and when we go to them for any help they help us. This is in your DNA. You live with all respect and not hatred and the ideology of Congress is in your heart,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Discussing the issues of Leh, Ladakh region, the Congress leader said: “You all told me that your representation and your voice and the leaders of the local government is being suppressed. You became a Union Territory, but you are not getting your rights, this is what you told me. You people also said that the promise of employment made to you was false. And if we speak to any youth in Ladakh they will say that Ladakh is the epicentre of unemployment. You people also highlighted the weak mobile connectivity in the region.”
He further said that the people of Ladakh also informed him about the presence of a local airport but no aeroplane comes here.
“I tried to hear your voice and Congress is standing with you and we are in your struggle for your land, your rights. Your local languages, we all are standing together,” he assured the people of Ladakh.
Targeting the BJP over its relation with the businessmen, he said that there are many natural resources in Ladakh and in 21st century we talk about solar energy and in Ladakh there is no dearth of solar energy.
“The BJP people know this and they understand that if you will get representation then they will not be able to snatch your land. The people of BJP want to take your land. A businessman wants to put his big projects here and they don’t want to give the benefit of those projects to you. We would not allow that to happen,” the Congress leader said.
He also said that the Leh apex body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance has put forth some demands and I want to assure you that we have supported your demands.
He also said that he has roamed in all the corners of Ladakh region and it is one of the most beautiful places in India and people here speak from heart and with love.
“In every region of Ladakh there are local issues and Ladakh has central issues and I want to say that in the next Parliament session I will raise your main issues there,” Rahul Gandhi said.