On the eve of Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary, the senior Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, rode a motorbike from Leh to Pangong Lake in Ladakh’s UT on Saturday. This was confirmed by a party official.
The former Congress president is currently touring Ladakh. This is his first visit since the region’s separation from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. He is expected to visit Kargil next week.
The former state of Jammu and Kashmir lost its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution when it became a Union Territory.
Mr. Gandhi extended his visit by four days to explore Pangong Lake, Nubra Valley, and Kargil district. He made this decision after arriving in Leh on Thursday for a two-day visit, as mentioned by Congress spokesperson Tsering Namgyal, also the opposition leader in LAHDC Leh.
Mr. Gandhi will spend the night at Pangong Lake after travelling more than 130 kilometres on his motorbike. A small ceremony will take place there on Sunday to honor the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
On his social media accounts, Rahul Gandhi posted a number of images from his motorbike trip from Leh to Pangong with the statement, “On our way to Pangong Lake, which my father used to say, is one of the most beautiful places in the world.” He’s riding his motorbike to Nubra Valley on Sunday to spend the night there. According to Mr. Namgyal, he is likely to meet farmers and shopkeepers during his journey. Mr. Namgyal also mentioned that he will return to Leh on Monday.
Although his party colleagues in Leh labeled the trip “non-political” and disregarded the upcoming elections, Mr. Gandhi was warmly welcomed by party workers upon his Thursday arrival.
Apart from watching a local football match, he interacted with party members and engaged with the youth.
According to a Congress spokesperson, Mr. Gandhi is expected to visit the Kargil district either on Monday or Tuesday. The spokesperson also mentioned that he is anticipated to interact with party members and the local community, especially the youth.
With the LAHDC Kargil district elections set for September 10, Mr. Gandhi’s visit becomes notably significant. For the hill council elections, the National Conference and the Congress have already declared their pre-election partnership.