'Representation of people...': Rahul Gandhi addresses party workers in J-K ahead of assembly polls

As the election commission of India announced the dates of the state assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge held a meeting with the party workers of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. While addressing the event, Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that the representation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their statehood is the most important thing.

"You are not workers, you are family. As soon as we got to know that elections were going to be conducted, we first decided to come here to Jammu and Kashmir because we wanted to give a message to the people of every state that for us the representation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their statehood is the most important thing," said Rahul Gandhi.

"In the history of India, after independence, many union territories have been converted into states but there is only one example when statehood was taken away and a union territory was created. This has never happened before and we want to give this message that the representation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is important, it is important for us and it is important for the country..." he added further.

Rajya Sabha LoP and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge mentioned that Rahul Gandhi is related to J&K by blood and appealed to voters saying that their votes are needed to save the country and the culture and rights of the citizens.

"If we win the elections in J&K, the whole of India will come under our control... As Rahul Gandhi said, his relationship with J&K is not limited to likes or dislikes. He is related to J&K by blood... We hope J&K will stand with us in the upcoming elections... The BJP is always the one who decides where and when to begin elections. All their anger and frustration are targeted only at Congress because no other party gives a tough fight. The only person who dares to fight is Rahul Gandhi... We need your votes to save the country, to save your culture and rights..." said Kharge.

Notably, security has been heightened outside the hotel where Rahul Gandhi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge held the meeting. The Congress is likely to fight the JK elections in alliance with the National Conference, although a formal announcement is awaited.

The two parties which were part of the INDIA bloc fought the Lok Sabha elections in alliance.

Except for the healine, the story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI.