Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Kargil on his motorbike, on Thursday exuded confidence in winning upcoming elections in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
Mr. Gandhi told his supporters that the party was confident to repeat the Karnataka-like win in other upcoming elections in the country. “They talk about the Congress’ downfall. Whose downfall took place in Karnataka and Himachal. I can assure that the Congress will win upcoming elections in all the four states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana,” he said.
The Congress leader also expressed concern over the lack of representation of locals in the governance issues of Union Territory of Ladakh. “Representation of locals remains a major issue here. In a democracy, the voices of people are important. The region gets funds. But who gets to make a decision on them? These days it’s bureaucracy and not the people of Ladakh,” Mr. Gandhi, who is touring the U.T. for the past six days, said.
The Gandhi scion was received Zanskar area of in Kargil by locals, who were playing traditional music and wore traditional dresses. Wearing a biker’s gear, Mr. Gandhi described the Ladakh tour as a continuation of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, a march he started last year from south to north India.
Mr. Gandhi addressed the Congress workers, local youth and sought their feedback in Kargil. Several local youth highlighted the growing unemployment in the region after August 5, 2019, when the Centre ended J&K’s special constitutional position and carved out Ladakh as a separate U.T. A youth in Kargil also pointed out the Congress’ failure to give voice to their concerns in Parliament.
Mr. Gandhi is scheduled to address a public rally in Kargil on Friday. His visit to Kargil comes at a time when the election to the 30-member Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development is scheduled for September 10.
Responding to questions posed on growing violence against Muslims in India, Mr. Gandhi said, “It’s true Muslims are under attack in India. You must realise that there are many other people also under attack in India. Please look at what is going on in Manipur today. For four months, Manipur has been burning. You must not think you are the only people under attack. It’s happening to other minorities, Dalits and tribals too. This is in the attitude and approach of the BJP. This is something we are committed to fight. We are at the forefront of this fight.”
