Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi along with a delegation of opposition leaders will today visit Srinagar to assess the situation in the Kashmir Valley, where restrictions have been imposed since the Centre revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and divided the state into two union territories on August 5.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, KC Venugopal and Anand Sharma would be other Congress leaders in the delegation. Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s Dinesh Trivedi, Tiruchi Siva of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury and Communist Party of India’s D Raja would be other members of the delegation. Loktantrik Janta Dal’s Sharad Yadav, Manoj Jha of Rashtriya Janata Dal, Majeed Memon (Nationalist Congress Party) and D Kupendra Reddy of the Janta Dal (Secular) will also be apart of the delegation.
Delegation of opposition leaders comprising Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, D Raja, Sharad Yadav, Manoj Jha, Majeed Memon, and others that had reached Srinagar has been sent back.
Opposition party’s Rahul Gandhi to assess the ground situation in Kashmir on Saturday.
According to PTI, Opposition delegation plans to meet people in Jammu and Kashmir to assess the situation after region’s special status was removed and restrictions imposed to prevent violent protests.
Department of Information and Public Relations’ tweets points out that the leaders’ visit will “violate restrictions” that are valid in many areas and that leaders must understand that currently “priority” should be given to maintaining peace, order and preventing loss of human lives.
“The political parties which are going under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi are responsible political outfits and all of us are responsible leaders. We are not going to break the law. The issue of J-K, Ladakh is worrisome,” Ghulam nabi Azad said while expressing concern about no statement being issued by the Home Ministry on the situation, reports news agency ANI.
“If the situation is normal, why are they objecting to our visit? And if they are objecting, they should accept that the situation is not normal. We don’t need security,” RJD leader Manoj Jha said, reports news agency ANI.
Opposition leaders D Raja, Sharad Yadav,Majeed Memon and Manoj Jha onboard flight to Srinagar.Opposition delegation including Rahul Gandhi are visiting Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.
So far, the government has not allowed any political leader to enter the state ever since Article 370 was abrogated.
Leaders of regional parties, including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have been put under house arrest.
Ghulam Nabi Azad was not allowed to enter the state and stopped twice, both in Srinagar and Jammu. Earlier, D Raja was also stopped at Srinagar airport and sent back.
Rahul Gandhi last week asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to quell apprehensions about Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik dismissed his concerns and invited him to travel to the state. He even offered a plane to Gandhi.
Source: Hindustan Times