As the Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Jammu and Kashmir for its concluding phase, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tried to strike an emotional chord with the residents of the Union Territory by recalling the roots of his ancestors in the Valley.
"I am going back to my roots, I know the suffering of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and come to you with a bowed head," he said after entering Jammu and Kashmir through Lakhanpur-the gateway of the Union Territory.
He recalled that his ancestors belong to Jammu and Kashmir and said, "So, I have an emotional attachment to this part of the country."
As soon as Rahul Gandhi entered Jammu and Kashmir, he was presented with a picture of the founder of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Ghulab Singh.
BJP diverting the attention of people from real issues
Rahul Gandhi accused the Centre of indulging in mass pickpocketing by diverting the attention of people and then looting them.
"I walked from Kanyakumari and talked to thousands of people. Common masses are facing problems but BJP is trying to divert attention by raising irrelevant issues," he said.
आज, जम्मू-कश्मीर पहुंचने की बहुत खुशी है, क्योंकि अपने घर जा रहा हूं, जहां से मेरे पूर्वजों की जड़ें जुड़ी हैं।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 19, 2023
और, सीखता समझता जा रहा हूं, खुद को, हर प्रदेश को, अपने देश को। pic.twitter.com/Q0RJaw005r
"The BJP and RSS have spread hatred. I earlier thought it ran deep but it does not and is mainly seen on television," Rahul Gandhi said at Lakhanpur.
Congress leader listed hatred, violence, unemployment, and price rise as the main issues confronting the country and blamed the media for not highlighting them.
Irrelevant topics to divert attention
Rahul Gandhi criticized the media for not ignoring basic issues and raising irrelevant topics just to divert peoples' attention from burning issues.
He said the media uses topics such as Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Kumar to divert the attention of people.
Gandhi said he had been walking about seven hours a day, covering 25 km each day, but nobody was tired. After the night halt, Rahul Gandhi will lead the Yatra from Hatli Morh in Kathua from January 20 morning and take a night halt at Chadwal. January 21 will be the break day.
The Yatra will reach Jammu on January 23 and the party is planning a rally in the city. The Yatra would remain in the Jammu region for over a week. Former J&K Congress chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir said the Yatra would enter Kashmir from Jawahar Tunnel on Srinagar-Jammu national highway on January 27.
J&K's prominent social and political leaders including former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, Muzaffar Shah, Tariq Hameed Karra, Vikar Rasool, GM Mir, Lal Singh, and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut have joined the march at Lakhanpur.
