I’m your soldier in Delhi: Rahul

Jammu, Aug 22: Portraying restoration of statehood as main election-plank of his party in ensuing assembly elections, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Thursday yet again reminded J&K people of his ‘familial relations’ with them and asserted that he would be their “soldier in Delhi”, fighting all battles on their behalf.

“You very well know that my relationship with J&K and its people is not political. I share blood-relation with you. This is a relationship based on love and affinity. Ours is family-relation as my family has roots here,” he reiterated to strike an emotional chord, while addressing a convention of party workers, delegates, block presidents and senior leaders.

“Fully aware that you have suffered so much in the past ten years or so, we’re amongst you to reaffirm that Congress is there to win you back everything which is your right and which you want. I’m your soldier there (in Delhi). You have to just order and I’ll be there. I’ll fight battles on your behalf. Whenever need, come to me, my doors are always open,” Rahul continued.

He was here along with the party president Mallikarjun Kharge, winding up their two-day tour to J&K with a twin purpose - to stitch pre-poll alliance and launch Congress campaign for assembly elections in J&K.

AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, JKPCC president Tariq Hameed Karra also accompanied him, along with other senior leaders of the party in the convention.

Reinvigorating party rank and file with a direct dig at his and his party’s bête-noire, Rahul stated, “The fight is between Congress ideology and RSS ideology. Congress workers, who are “Babbar Sher” (lion) made even the Prime Minister to lose his confidence in the general elections of 2024. Their resilience and resolve gave him (PM) so much psychological tension that his psychology collapsed. I can see that in the Parliament. You too would have noticed this through the changed body language of the Prime Minister.”

“This happened because of your resolve. When your ideology was under assault, you still continued to hold the party flag, which was thrown away by many. But you did not, that's why I called you ‘Babbar Sher. You are our strength and that is why I ask Venugopal Ji and Karraji that our workers too should be given an opportunity to become MLA,” he assured.

He said that the party knew that J&K people endured a great deal as “contracts of all kinds, positions in government were given to people from other states. “That’s why we wanted restoration of statehood first but they announced elections. Now we’ll contest with full strength and resolve to defeat them. You win assembly elections for us and we will run the government as you want. I know restoration of statehood is in your heart. We will resolutely fight for it. We’ve come here with this message,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

Referring to pre=poll alliance, in the same vein, he said, “Alliance has been stitched yet we want that both our Generals i.e., leaders like Raman Bhalla and our soldiers (workers) should get respect (in alliance),” he said.

Targetting BJP, Rahul said that it only brought suffering to people through inflation and unemployment.

“We are fighting against its atrocities and anti-people policies. We are not going to leave them. We are in opposition but Congress workers are running the government and will continue to run,” he said, while referring to the Waqf Bill and withdrawal of the advertisement related to lateral entry.

Rahul said that Jammu, the land of Maa Vaishno Devi, had its own unique culture, history and tradition, like Kerala and other states, regions of the country.

“We want every culture, tradition to flourish. We want every voice to be heard. They (BJP) want to run the entire country through a remote-control from Nagpur. Our ideology favours decentralisation, they want centralisation (of power). Sometimes we have contradictions, tension within the party on this account but we don’t want to suppress voices of dissent. That’s why restoration of J&K statehood is our priority. We are proud of Congress workers who have saved country’s India’s democracy and its constitution,” he said.