NEW DELHI, Aug 22 : Rahul Gandhi’s trip to the Union Territory was in fulfilling of a promise he made to a delegation from there during his cross-country march, according to the Congress, which said on Tuesday that his Ladakh Yatra is a continuation of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Gandhi travelled over 4,000 kilometres from Kanyakumari to Kashmir with a large contingent of Congress members between September 2017 and January 2018.Rahul Gandhi met with a group from Ladakh on January 24 at the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jhajjar Kotli, Jammu, according to a post on X by Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh. This week’s travel to Ladakh “is in fulfilment of a commitment made to that delegation,” the official said. “They had wanted him to come and hear the people’s perceptions of the border challenges with China, as well as their views on empowerment of local elected bodies.”Gandhi arrived in Leh on Thursday for a two-day visit before opting to remain for an additional four days to see Pangong Lake, Nubra Valley, and Kargil district. According to Ramesh, the Ladakh Yatra is in many ways an extension of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Gandhi revealed that he had intended to travel to Ladakh during his Bharat Jodo Yatra but had to abandon the trip due to some “logistical reasons” when speaking with reporters in the Union Territory on Sunday.”So I reasoned, let me travel here and take a thorough tour of Ladakh. I travelled to Pangong and will now travel to Nubra and Kargil, he had previously stated. Gandhi claimed in a post on Instagram that “Bharat Jodo” is ingrained in each and every Indian’s heart and thoughts. “A striking illustration of this oneness is the resonant chorus of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ that reverberates throughout Leh’s streets. No force can silence this voice, which is filled with love and friendship, he declared while posting images from his trip to the Leh main market.
On Saturday, the former president of the Congress travelled by motorbike through the Union Territory of Ladakh from Leh to Pangong Lake.