Rahul Gandhi visits Leh's main market
Aug 21, 2023
Leh (Ladakh) [India], August 22 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday reached Leh's main market during his visit to Ladakh and was seen interacting with people in the market.
Earlier on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi embarked on a bike ride to Pangong Tso in Ladakh.
He also paid tribute to his father and former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, on his 79th birth anniversary from the banks of Pangong Lake in Ladakh on Sunday morning.
Rahul Gandhi arrived in Leh to begin his two-day visit to the Union Territory on Thursday and later decided to extend his tour till August 25.
Earlier, Congress leader hit out at the Centre, saying that its claim that not an inch of Indian land was taken by China's People Liberation Army (PLA) troops "is not true".
The Congress MP claimed the locals, too, contend that Indian territory was intruded upon and taken by the Chinese troops, adding that it was a matter of concern.
Speaking to reporters after laying floral tributes to a framed photograph of the former PM by a gleaming Pangong Tso lake on an overcast Sunday morning, the Congress leader said, "The locals here are concerned about China taking our land. They have said that the Chinese troops took away their grazing land. However, the PM says not an inch of land was taken away. This is not true, you can ask anyone here," Rahul said.
This is his first visit to Ladakh since Jammu and Kashmir were bifurcated into two Union Territories, Ladakh and J-K, following the removal of Articles 370 and 35 (A) on August 5, 2019.
Congress and National Conference have forged a pre-poll alliance against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Kargil council polls scheduled to be held on September 10.
Although the Congress MP visited Srinagar and Jammu twice earlier this year, he, however, did not travel to Ladakh.
In January, the Congress leader visited Jammu and Srinagar during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Again on a personal visit in February, he visited the Gulmarg ski resort.
