Rahul Gandhi addressed his supporters in Srinagar at Congress Party headquarters and addressed the concerns around his security in the trouble-torn valley on Monday.
“When I was walking, security personnel told me that you can walk across India, even in Jammu, but the four days in Kashmir, you should do it in a vehicle. I was told that if I walk on foot, they will throw grenades at me. I thought if I will go home (Kashmir) then I should walk among them. I thought I should give a chance to those who hate me to change the colour of my t-shirt to red.” Gandhi said while addressing the crowd.
“However, in this duration, Jammu and Kashmir didn’t give me a grenade, only love,” he added.
The Gandhi scion spoke to the crowd on Monday in the midst of heavy snowfall as the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which he led across twelve states and two Union territories, came to an end with a rally in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. He was wearing his trademark white t-shirt with a local touch of ‘pheran’ to fight the cold.
The Gandhi scion spoke to the crowd of love and Kashmiriyat, apart from a number of issues in the country that transformed his viewpoint.
“I went from down (Kanyakumari) to up (Kashmir), I was thinking that earlier my ancestors came from up to down (Allahabad). When I was coming here, I felt like I was coming home. A structure or building is not home for me, a home is the way of life for me. What you call Kashmiriyat is home for me,” Gandhi said.
“The thought of Lord Shiva is Kashmiriyat, you can call it ‘Shunyata’. I have attacked my own thoughts and my pride,” Gandhi said.
Rahul Gandhi raised the national flag earlier in the day at the yatra campsite nearby and then enjoyed a snowball fight with his sister Priyanka.
Politicians from 12 parties were present at this conclusion ceremony of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar, including former chief ministers, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah.
