When can I come to Kashmir without conditions? Rahul Gandhi asks Satya Pal Malik
New Delhi, Aug 14 (IBNS): Not ending his sarcastic battle with Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked him when can he visit the valley without any delegation of the opposition parties.
"Dear Maalik ji, I saw your feeble reply to my tweet. I accept your invitation to visit Jammu & Kashmir and meet the people, with no conditions attached. When can I come?" Rahul tweeted.
Dear Maalik ji,
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 14, 2019
I saw your feeble reply to my tweet.
I accept your invitation to visit Jammu & Kashmir and meet the people, with no conditions attached.
When can I come?
Rahul said this after Malik withdrew his invitation to the Congress leader to visit Jammu and Kashmir as the politician had intended to visit the valley with a delegation.
The verbal exchanges started after Rahul on last Saturday said there were reports of violence in Jammu and Kashmir, which has lost its special status after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government abrogated Articles 370.
Replying to Rahul's claim of violence in Jammu and Kashmir, Malik on Monday said he would send an aircraft to the former Congress president to visit the valley and get an idea of the ground reality.
Seizing the opportunity, the former Congress president said on Tuesday, "Dear Governor Malik, A delegation of opposition leaders & I will take you up on your gracious invitation to visit J&K and Ladakh. We won’t need an aircraft but please ensure us the freedom to travel & meet the people, mainstream leaders and our soldiers stationed over there."
Dear Governor Malik,
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 13, 2019
A delegation of opposition leaders & I will take you up on your gracious invitation to visit J&K and Ladakh.
We won’t need an aircraft but please ensure us the freedom to travel & meet the people, mainstream leaders and our soldiers stationed over there. https://t.co/9VjQUmgu8u
Earlier Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Nabi Azad, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja had tried to enter Jammu and Kashmir but were barred from stepping outside of the Srinagar Airport.
In the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 and a consequent provisional lockdown to prevent violence, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has appealed all to not believe in rumours spread by few media that violence erupted in the state while categorically rubbishing foreign media reports of a police firing. Not a single bullet was fired in the last six days, said the top police officials in Kashmir on Sunday.
Festival Eid was also peacefully celebrated in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
Apart from abrogating the articles, the Centre last week has withdrawn Article 35A, which was used to define permanent Jammu and Kashmir residents, withdrew the valley's statehood and bifurcated it into two Union Territories which are Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Governor Satya Pal Malik is presently the head of Jammu and Kashmir as it is having state emergency in place.
Image Credit: Rahul Gandhi Facebook
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