NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday shared an anecdote when she and Rahul Gandhi went for a trip to with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi just days before her assassination.
While addressing a public rally in Jammu’s Bishnah, the Congress leader recounted about her trip and said that her grandmother took her to the temple of Kheer Bhawani. She also said that whenever she comes to Srinagar, she visits Kheer Bhawani Mata to remember her grandmother.
“4-5 days before the assassination of my grandmother Indira ji, we were sitting at home, I was 12 years old, Rahul was 14 years old. Suddenly my grandmother said, I feel like going to Kashmir, I want to see the Chinar trees that fall during autumn. So we both were children and were very happy to go with our grandmother,” the Congress leader said.
“She brought us to Kashmir. For the first time, she took me to the temple of Kheer Bhawani. Then we came to Delhi and after 3-4 days she was assassinated and became a martyr. And since then, whenever I go to Srinagar, I definitely visit Kheer Bhawani Mata and remember my grandmother,” she added.
During her address, Priyanka also upped her ante against Bharatiya Janata party and said that the party leaders have made Jammu and Kashmir “a pawn in their political chess.”
Priyanka also accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government of making policies to politics rather than uplifting the state.
“Nature has given you everything, beauty, resources. The nature of the world is that when someone has everything, then the one whose intentions are not right, tries to snatch it,”
“In a way, the BJP leaders have made Jammu and Kashmir a pawn in their political chess. Policies are not made for here, the policies that are made for you are made to do politics,” she added.
Elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being held in three phases. Voting for 24 seats was held in the first phase on September 18. The next phase of polling for 26 seats was held on September 25.
Voting for the third phase would be held on October 1 while results would be declared on October 8.