Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the RSS-BJP was trying to damage the composite culture of Jammu and Kashmir and already has resulted in a dent to the Union Territory's economy and businesses.
"People of J&K have in them a deep sense of compassion and brotherhood. However, the RSS-BJP was trying to damage the composite culture. It weakens you. We saw how the economy, tourism and business have been hit already," Mr. Gandhi said, in his speech made to party leaders on the second day of his Jammu tour.
Mr. Gandhi, who visited the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on Thursday, said he observed three symbols inside the temple, including Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.
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"While Durga symbolises the force of saviour, Lakshmi is the force that makes us attain our aim and Saraswati symbolises wisdom and knowledge. But we saw how the moves like demonetisation, farm laws and GST dwindled the force of Durga. How appointment of RSS-affiliated people in schools and colleges in the country has negatively impacted Saraswati as a force," Mr. Gandhi said.
He said the Congress party through schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and achieving nine percent growth only added to the force of Lakshmi. "I fail to understand what is happening now?" he added.
Mr. Gandhi accused the BJP of making false promises to migrant Kashmiri Pandits. "A delegation of Kashmiri Pandits told me that the false promise of providing ₹25 lakh compensations has not been met yet. It was the Congress that announced compensation for the Kashmiri Pandits. I must say I felt a part of the delegation myself because I am also a Kashmiri Pandit," he added.
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Mr. Gandhi said that after visiting Kashmir valley and Jammu, in the last two months, he was planning to visit Ladakh soon.