Bharat Mata voice of every Indian, will do everything to amplify voice of Ladakh: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said Bharat Mata is the voice of every Indian and asserted that he will do everything he can to amplify the voice of Ladakh, as he shared a video of his recent visit to the Union territory on a motorcycle.
Sharing the video on X, Rahul Gandhi said his father Rajiv Gandhi had once told him that Pangong Tso Lake was one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
"Since then, I have always yearned to go to Ladakh, and as I continued on my Bharat Jodo Yatra, I thought, what better way to visit Ladakh than on a motorcycle!" Gandhi said.
A journey has all kinds of discoveries, and the most incredible one was the love and humility of the Ladakhi people, the former Congress chief said in his post in Hindi.
Their empathy and wisdom about Ladakh is unmatched and any plan for the future development of the region must be based on their input, he asserted.
"Ladakh is one of India's crown jewels and one of the world's most important strategic locations. It broke my heart to see a sense of betrayal in the eyes of the people. They felt betrayed by the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) when he lied about the Chinese occupation of our land," Gandhi said.
They felt betrayed by the BJP government when it failed to fulfil any of its promises, he said.
"A government must empower all of its people and Ladakh needs good governance. Bharat Mata is the voice of each and every Indian and I will do everything I can to amplify the voice of Ladakh," Rahul Gandhi said.
Sharing the video, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that on January 24, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi had met a delegation from Ladakh in Kotli Jhajjar and it included people who wanted him to come to Ladakh.
"He fulfilled his promise last month. Taking forward the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he went to Ladakh," he said.
The video shows Rahul Gandhi with a group of biking enthusiasts who travelled with him to Pangong Tso Lake and other areas of Ladakh on motorcycles, often through rough and rocky terrain. It also shows Gandhi interacting with various groups around Ladakh and getting to know their demands.
"I spoke with the people, mothers, sisters and youth, and tried to understand what is in your heart. One thing is clear the ideology of Gandhi and the Congress is in the blood and DNA of Ladakh. I would like to tell you that in the next Parliament session, I will raise your main issues," he is heard saying to the people of Ladakh in the video.
Gandhi along with scores of people from the Congress had undertaken a nearly 4,000-km Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir journey from September last year to January.
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89 killed as storm, rain batter UP; relief work underway
Lucknow (PTI): At least 89 people were killed after a strong storm and heavy rain pounded several districts of Uttar Pradesh, uprooting trees and electric poles and damaging houses, according to the Relief Commissioner's office.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the loss of lives and damage caused by the unseasonal rain, thunderstorms and lightning on Wednesday and directed officials to ensure relief reaches the affected families within 24 hours.
In a post on X on Thursday, the Relief Commissioner's office said, "Due to bad weather on May 13, including storms, rain, hailstorm and lightning, reports of 89 deaths, 53 injured persons, 114 livestock losses and damage to 87 houses have been received in the state, which has been taken cognisance of by the Hon'ble Chief Minister."
It said the chief minister has directed all divisional commissioners and district magistrates to verify the incidents "with full sensitivity" and ensure financial assistance is distributed to affected families within 24 hours while establishing direct communication with them and extending other necessary help.
The Relief Commissioner's office said it is continuously monitoring the situation through direct coordination with district officials and necessary funds are being made available to districts.
According to a list issued by the Prayagraj district administration, seven deaths were reported in the Handia area, four in Phulpur, three in Soraon, two in Meja and one in Sadar due to the storm and rain.
In Bhadohi, district administration sources said at least 16 people died in storm-related incidents.
Additional District Magistrate Kunwar Virendra Kumar Maurya said trees and electric poles were uprooted in several areas while many houses were damaged in the storm.
Fatehpur Additional District Magistrate Avinash Tripathi said nine people were killed and 16 injured in storm-related incidents in the district.
"Eight people, including five women, died in Khaga tehsil, while a woman died after a wall of a house collapsed in Sadar tehsil," he said.
In Pratapgarh, four people died in separate incidents of wall and cemented shed collapses and lightning strikes amid strong winds and rain, officials said.
Superintendent of Police Deepak Bhukar said Bhim Yadav (25) died after he was trapped under the debris of a cemented shed that collapsed in Ojha Ka Purwa village in the Lalganj Kotwali area.
He said Bhushan Pandey (56) died after a wall collapsed in Sari Swami village under the Baghrai police station area.
Bhukar said Shanti Devi (46) of Narangpur village and Lal Bahadur (44) of Chhatrapur Shivala Raghna village also died in storm-related incidents.
In Kanpur Dehat district, two persons died in rain-related incidents, the officials said.
Police sources said a 19-year-old woman, Ruchi, died after being struck by lightning in Bhauthari village under the Rasulabad area while standing under a neem tree with goats during heavy rain. Several goats also died in the incident.
A 60-year-old man standing nearby was injured, they added.
Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Dushyant Kumar said reports regarding human and livestock losses have been sought from local officials and financial assistance will be provided as per government rules.
In Deoria, Komal Yadav (62), a resident of Bhimpur Gaura village, died after being struck by lightning, district administration sources said. Two others were injured in the incident.
In another incident, Ramnath Prasad (65), a resident of Neruari village, died in a lightning strike.
In Sonbhadra district, Madhav Singh (38) died after being trapped under a tree uprooted during the rain and the storm.
Adityanath directed the district magistrates and officials of various departments to visit the affected areas and provide all possible assistance to the victims and their families.
He also instructed the officials to remain alert and ordered the revenue and agriculture departments, along with insurance companies, to conduct a survey of the damage and submit a report to the government.
