Wrapping up his week-long bike tour of Ladakh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying about China’s incursion into Indian territory in Ladakh and alleged the BJP was handing over the region’s land to the Adani Group.
“Ladakh is a strategic place. I went to different pockets of the region on a bike. At the Pangong Tso lake, one thing was clear, China has taken away thousands of kilometres of India’s land. Every local in Ladakh knows about it. The sad part is that the PM during the Opposition meet said not a single inch of land was taken. The PM was not telling us the truth,” Mr. Gandhi said during his public address in Kargil. During the day, he also paid tributes to the martyrs at the Kargil War Memorial.
The latest salvo from Mr. Gandhi comes after a series of attacks on PM Modi in the past two years over Chinese incursions into Ladakh. In 2022, he accused the Prime Minister of giving away 1,000 square kilometres of territory to China, “without a fight”.
Mr. Gandhi also launched a scathing attack on the BJP and alleged it was “eyeing the land of Ladakh”. “The BJP knows and understands about the natural resources of Ladakh, especially the potential of solar energy. If people of Ladakh are given representation, they [the BJP] cannot snatch the land from you. The BJP wants to take away your land and allow Adani to set up projects,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Ladakh was carved out as a U.T. without an Assembly in 2019.
Mr. Gandhi extended the Congress’ support to the demands of the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, which are fighting for the U.T.’s inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, a separate Public Service Commission, reservation of jobs for locals and two separate parliamentary constituencies for Leh and Kargil.
“We will not allow Adani to set up projects on your land. The Congress extends its support to the demands made by the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, especially to protect land, jobs, culture, and language,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Mr. Gandhi said during the conversation with locals, he realised that Ladakh has become an epicentre of unemployment. “This tour taught me that local representation, political voice, and local leaders are being suppressed. Ladakh became a U.T. but people’s rights were not granted. Employment promises made by the BJP turned out to be false. The demands of communication coverage and air services are yet to be met,” Mr. Gandhi said.
He praised locals for displaying and following the core ideology of Mahatma Gandhi and Congress, which is to live in harmony and brotherhood. “Non-locals, who work here from different parts of the country, described Ladakh as their second home because of the love and care shown by locals during difficult times,” he said.
He also recalled the role the locals played during multiple wars. “Whenever India needed you, whenever borders saw war, people of Kargil stood by India. This is your history. I assure you that this country is home to people of different faiths, races, languages. They all are equal to us and all should live with dignity and compassion,” Mr. Gandhi said, while adding that Ladakh was the most beautiful place in India where people “speak out from their hearts”.
He said he was unable to visit Ladakh as part of his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and this bike tour has helped him to listen to “Mann ki Baat” of locals of Ladakh.
