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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Cracks noticed on Puri Jagannath temple boundary wall, ASI urged to conduct survey
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Authorities of the Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri have urged the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a scientific survey of the boundary wall of the 12th-century shrine since cracks have been noticed on it.
The ASI is the custodian of the temple.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee wrote to ASI, saying that cracks have been discovered on the giant wall around the temple complex.
Padhee has also requested the ASI for immediate repair and restoration of the 'Meghanad Pacheri' (boundary wall).
He said that the civil construction wing of the SJTA has taken steps to prevent water leakage on the wall.
Besides, a tender process has also been initiated to improve the drainage system of Anand Bazaar, a place inside the temple where people take 'prasad'.
The temple administration has also assured all support to the ASI in carrying out the repair work.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the matter is urgent and repair work would commence immediately to prevent further damage to the wall.
"Due to some mistakes in the past, such issues have cropped up," he said, indicating construction works around the temple complex by the previous BJD government.
