Rahul Gandhi meets Pahalgam terror attack victim Lt Vinay Narwal's kin in Karnal
Chandigarh, May 6 (PTI): Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met the family members of Navy officer Lt Vinay Narwal, who was killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
Accompanied by senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad, who is the party's Haryana affairs in-charge, the LoP reached Karnal in Haryana in the afternoon.
Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, Congress' Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda and party leader Divyanshu Budhiraja were also present when Gandhi arrived.
After paying his tributes to the Naval officer upon reaching his residence, Gandhi spent more than one-and-a-half hours with Narwal's family.
Gandhi did not talk to the reporters who were waiting outside Lt Narwal's house. However, he later said on X, "I met the bereaved family of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal ji, who was martyred in the Pahalgam attack, shared their grief and consoled them. Their courage and bravery even in the face of immense grief is a message for the country - we have to remain united.
"The entire country stands with the families of the martyrs. The government has the full support of the opposition -- the culprits should be punished in such a way that no one dares to raise an eye toward India. Today, along with the victim families, the entire country is waiting for justice."
Speaking to reporters later, Hooda said Gandhi consoled the family. "Rahul Gandhi paid homage to martyr Narwal, talked separately to his family members and offered his condolences."
Haryana Congress chief Bhan told PTI that Gandhi consoled the family and shared their grief.
"He met with the family members, including his parents," said Bhan.
After meeting the family, Gandhi left for Delhi, he said.
Married three weeks ago, 26-year-old Lt Narwal, accompanied by his wife Himanshi, was on a honeymoon trip to Pahalgam when terrorists shot him at point blank on April 22.
A week ago, Gandhi had also visited the family members of Shubham Dwivedi, who was among the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terror attack.
Stressing that strict and concrete action should be taken against the terrorists, Gandhi had then said the united opposition had given full support to the government.
Besides those killed, several people were injured when terrorists opened fire at a meadow near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.
पहलगाम हमले में शहीद हुए लेफ्टिनेंट विनय नरवाल जी के शोकाकुल परिवार से मिलकर उनका दुख बांटा, उन्हें सांत्वना दी। अपार दुख में भी उनका हौसला और साहस देश के लिए एक संदेश है - हमें एकजुट रहना है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 6, 2025
पूरा देश शहीदों के परिवारों के साथ खड़ा है। सरकार को विपक्ष का पूरा समर्थन है -…
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Centre must roll back LPG price hike, says Kerala CM
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday demanded that the Centre immediately roll back the recent steep hike in LPG prices, alleging that it has severely impacted common people and small businesses.
In a statement, Vijayan described the increase as "one of the most cruel" in the history of cooking gas price revisions, saying it has pushed ordinary households and entrepreneurs into distress.
He said the price of commercial LPG cylinders had been raised by Rs 993 in one go, crossing Rs 3,000, which would adversely affect the hotel and restaurant sector.
The hike in the price of 5-kg LPG cylinders by Rs 251.50 would hit migrant workers and small families who depend on them, he added.
The chief minister alleged that the hike came immediately after the conclusion of Assembly elections in states, placing an additional burden on common people, small-scale entrepreneurs and migrant labourers.
Pointing to the ongoing crisis in West Asia, Vijayan said the hospitality sector has already been facing a shortage of cooking gas for months and the latest price increase would be difficult to absorb.
The burden would ultimately be passed on to consumers, he said, warning that several small establishments, including those in Kerala, could be forced to shut down.
Accusing oil companies of prioritising profits over public welfare, he said such a trend of imposing additional financial burden on people cannot be accepted.
Vijayan also alleged that the Centre's policies favour corporate interests and called for a correction in approach.
He urged the Union government to withdraw the excessive hike without delay.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on May 1, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
