4-day visit to Srinagar from today
Excelsior Correspondent
KARGIL, Aug 24: Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Rahul Gandhi today held an interaction with a group of youths after he reached Kargil town this evening on the last leg of his over week-long tour of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
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The former Congress president is scheduled to address a public meeting here tomorrow in poll-bound Kargil before leaving for Srinagar.
The election to 26 seats of the 30-member Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil, is slated for September 10 and the counting of votes will be held four days later.
After an overnight stay at Padam in Zanskar Tehsil of Kargil, the 53-year-old Gandhi reached Kargil town late this afternoon, riding on his motorcycle. He was accorded a warm welcome by a massive crowd who chanted slogans in praise of “Bharat Jodo” and the Congress leader.
Later, he interacted with the youngsters for one-hour from 5 pm at a special programme organised by the local Congress unit.
More than 1,000 youths turned up and highlighted their problems including joblessness.
Gandhi assured them that he and his party members would become their voice in Parliament and ensure justice with them.
Gandhi talked about the party’s victory in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections and also exuded confidence about the party’s win in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as state polls later this year.
A Congress leader termed the interaction between Gandhi and the youth a “historic moment” and said the people of Kargil were all praise for the efforts of the Congress leader to safeguard democracy and secularism in the country by exposing “divisive forces and hatemongers”.
“Gandhi’s visit has nothing to do with the local elections in Kargil. He is not here to campaign for the party candidates. He has a larger goal to remove hatred and spread love,” he said.
Earlier, Gandhi 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 a 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”.
Gandhi went round almost all famous places including Pangong lake, Nubra valley, Khardungla top, Lamayuru and Zanskar on the motorcycle during his Ladakh trip which started on August 17 initially for 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.
This was the first visit of Gandhi to Ladakh which was granted the status of Union Territory after being carved out from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is arriving in Srinagar for 4-day visit.
An official said that the visit is personal and Gandhi will arrive in Srinagar by road from Kargil tomorrow.
He will stay in the House boat “Jewel in the Crown” at Nigeen Lake Behrar Lalbazar for one night.
He would stay in Hotel Dare- es-Salam Ashie Bagh Nigeen for two nights. Tight security arrangements have been made in the area for his visit.
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