Congress Will Support Statehood for J&K - Rahul Gandhi

“Kashmiri Pandits are not begging, they are demanding their rights”, and the central government is ignoring the people of the state.

We promise, we will work hard to get back the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir!

“Jammu and Kashmir, once run by its own people, is today being run by outsiders,”Rahul Gandhi said. He addeed, “the administration is not listening to our [people’s] voices” Rahul Gandhi spoke for around 20-minutes as supporters gathered at Jammu’s Satwari Chowk on Monday.

He said this is what the people who he met during Bharat Jodo Yatra had told him. These speeches directly addressing the crowds that have greeted him along the way have also become a signature of the yatra, as have the scores of press conferences that he and his team have held.

Now in its final stage, Gandhi is in the land of his ancestors, and his reaction to the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019 is seen as being crucial as elections may soon be announced for the region. He also met Kashmiri Pandits who have continued to stay in J&K and continue to face many challenges.

Gandhi said he was “shocked” by what the Kashmiri Pandits told him. According to news reports the delegation told Gandhi that “Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha told them they should not beg. This is appalling. I want to tell the LG that he should apologise to these people." He also spoke about unemployment in J-K.

According to a report in the Telegraph, a delegation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met Gandhi and Bharat Jodo Yatra contingent on Monday. They also joined the Yatra when it entered Jammu. Here are some images from the day: