Putting up a 'united front' in the strong bastion of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in Jammu, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the ruling party in power at the Centre and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of trying to break the composite culture of Jammu & Kashmir and ruining the love and brotherhood that exists amongst the people.
Addressing an impressive 'sammelan of officer bearers of the Congress party, a day after visiting the Cave Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, Rahul said, "the feeling of love, brotherhood that exists amongst you all is being ruined by the people of BJP and RSS. Your composite culture was attacked, your brotherhood was attacked and they weakened you before snatching your statehood. You can yourself see that the union territory’s economy, tourism, and business is badly hurt.”
Attempting to strike an emotional chord with the people of Jammu, Rahul, sporting a saffron turban said, "Whenever I come to Jammu and Kashmir I feel that I have come home. Yesterday I went to offer prayers at Vaishnodevi ji and I felt at home".
He also asked the party cadre to strengthen Congress saying, “The day party workers feel that they are being heard in the party, Congress will come back with not 100, 200, 300, but 450 seats.”
Speaking of his meeting with a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits on Friday morning, he said, “During the meeting, I realised that I am part of this delegation. My family is also a Kashmiri Pandit family and I am a Kashmiri Pandit. Therefore, I want to say here that I don’t lie and I want to tell my Kashmiri Pandit brethren that I will help you”.
The two day long visit of the former Congress president has boosted the morale of the party workers in Jammu. Leaders belonging to different factions of the party including former Rajya Sabha leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also attended the impressive show of strength after a long gap in Jammu.
In February this year, Azad had presided over a function, attended by dissident leaders of the party where they had demanded strong Congress leadership at the centre to take on the Narendra Modi led government at the centre.Azad was present in Srinagar last month during Rahul's visit.
The organisers of the event too had worked hard to impress the central leadership.
Speaking on the occasion, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir urged Rahul Gandhi to regularly devote time from his busy schedule to strengthen the party ahead of the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. Mir said, "On behalf of the party workers I promise you the day is not too far away when we can form a full fledged government of the Congress party here in J&k. Victory here in Jammu and Kashmir would strengthen the party in the whole country and establish your leadership".
Earlier, in his speech Rahul had also targeted the central government for installing people from the RSS background in the educational institutions and pushing farm laws, demonetisation, GST etc.