Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on a six-day trip to Leh, paid tributes to his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 79th birth anniversary, on the banks of Pangong Lake in Ladakh on Sunday morning.
Gandhi, who embarked on a two-day visit to Leh on Thursday, later extended his stay in the region by four more days to cover Pangong Lake, Nubra Valley and Kargil district.
Rahul also took to X (formerly Twitter) to remember Rajiv Gandhi. "Papa, the dreams you had for India are shown from these priceless memories. Your mark is my way - understanding the struggles and dreams of every Indian, listening to the voice of Mother India," he posted.
After the prayer meeting, Rahul hit out at the Centre, stating that the Prime Minister has not acknowledged China's land grab. "Here, the concern is of course China has taken away the land...people have said that China's army has entered the area and their grazing land was taken away but PM said that not an inch of land was taken away, but this is not true, you can ask anyone here," Rahul Gandhi told reporters.
He added that the people of Ladakh were not happy. "There were so many complaints from the people of Ladakh, they are not happy with the status being given to them, they want representation and there is a problem of unemployment. People are saying that the state should not be run by bureaucracy but the state must be run by the voice of people," he added.
Meanwhile, the BJP has complimented Rahul Gandhi for taking a motorcycle ride to Ladakh. Posting pictures on social media of Rahul's motorcycle ride in Ladakh, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju took a dig at him, complimenting him for "promoting the excellent roads built in the Himalayan region under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership."
Rijiju also posted a video on 'X', an image claiming to be of 2012 in which a series of sports utility vehicles can be seen trying to navigate a makeshift road full of stones and boulders en route to Pangong Tso in Ladakh. The Minister juxtaposed the video with the picture of Rahul riding a motorcycle on a smooth blacktop road en route to Pangong Tso.
"Thanks to Rahul Gandhi for promoting excellent roads of Ladakh built by the Narendra Modi govt. Earlier, he also showcased how Tourism is booming in Kashmir Valley & reminded all that our "National Flag" can be peacefully hoisted at Lal Chowk in Srinagar now!", Rijiju tweeted.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi too commented on Rahul's road trip on 'X'. "To witness and spread the word about post-Article 370 developments in Leh and Ladakh, Shri Rahul Gandhi himself has taken a trip to the valley. We are elated and delighted to watch glimpses of his road trip."
Gandhi is currently on a tour of Ladakh -- his first since the region was made a Union territory after being carved out of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. Gandhi is likely to visit Kargil next week.