Jammu: Stepping up his attack against the arch-rival Bharatiya Janta Party, Indian National Congress Lok Sabha member Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the Saffron Party of denying representation to the people of Ladakh in its attempt to usurp the land of Ladakhi people and give it to big corporate houses.
The Congress leader also extended his support to the ongoing “struggle” of Ladakhi people for Constitutional safeguards to protect their land, culture and jobs, saying “we fully support the demands being raised by the Leh Apex Body (LAP) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA)”.
“Ladakh is full of natural resources and we talk of solar energy in 21st century. There is no shortage of solar energy here. The BJP people know that if you were given representation then they will not be able to take away your land, this is all about land, they (BJP) want to take away your land and give it to Adani so that he can set up his plant, but don’t share the benefits with you. But we will never let this happen,” Gandhi family scion said while addressing a public rally at poll-bound Kargil town.
He further alleged that because of the same reason they (BJP) don’t give proper representation to Ladakhi people as after that they would not be able to take the lands of locals.
The Congress leader alleged that the political voice of the people here was being “suppressed” and all the promises of the government on employment have turned out to be “false”. “I will raise all these issues in Parliament in the next session,” Gandhi said while expressing his gratitude to Ladakhi people for the welcome and love he had received.
He also 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”.
Pertinently, LAB and KDA have been spearheading agitation in support of their four major demands including full-fledged statehood for Ladakh, implementation of sixth schedule to protect the interest of the tribal people of Ladakh, separate Lok Sabha seats for Kargil and Leh, and establishment of ‘Ladakh Public Service Commission’ with the Ladakh Resident Certificate (LRC) as a mandatory requirement for all Gazetted Posts in Ladakh.
The Congress leader, on the last day of his nine-day visit to Ladakh as a part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, also accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of denying the fact that “China has taken away our land” in Ladakh.
“Ladakh is a strategic location. I visited Pangong lake and one thing is very clear that China has taken away India’s land. It is sad that every individual in Ladakh knows that China has taken away thousands of kilometers of our land but the Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied it in the Opposition meeting. The Prime Minister’s assertion that not an inch of land was taken away is absolutely false”, he said.
Gandhi had reached Leh last Thursday. During his visit to Pangong Lake on Sunday, he reiterated that “China has taken away people’s land and they are not being allowed to graze their cattle”.
Earlier, the Congress leader 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.
BJP denying representation to Ladakhis to usurp their land, says Cong Leader Rahul Gandhi
