'Keep Your Hate to Yourself': Rahul Gandhi's 'Outsiders' Remark in J&K Stokes Fresh Row

Srinagar: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday stoked a fresh controversy with his divisive remarks.  Addressing a public rally at Sangaldan, a part of the Banihal Assembly constituency in Ramban district, Rahul accused the central government of giving the benefits meant for the people of J&K to 'outsiders'. 

"Land is being snatched from the poor people in Jammu and Kashmir and being sold to outsiders. They (Outsiders) are running the businesses in J&K and the administration does not pay heed to the demands and concerns of local businessmen," Gandhi said.  

‘Keep Your Hate To Yourself’

His statement, however, sparked backlash from many netizens, who shared his video and urged him to keep his hateful remarks to himself. "Dear Rahul Gandhi, If people of other states are working in Jammu & Kashmir then they're not the outsiders! Keep your hate to yourself & don't attempt to create a divide in our nation. Your intentions are an actual threat to the sovereignty & integrity of our nation!” a user said. 

“Rahul Gandhi’s divisive incitement to grab power will prove very dangerous for the whole country. Outsiders are taking away your rights and wealth”- Rahul in J&K. Wherever he goes, he does the same thing; incite locals against other states. This Gandhi is a curse to India”, another user echoed similar remarks. 

‘Jammu-Kashmir Mein Raja Baitha Hai’

He also launched a scathing attack on the Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha, calling him a ‘raja’ (king). “Aaj Jammu-Kashmir mein raja baitha hua hai. Uska naam L-G hai par hai voh raja. (Today, a king sits in Jammu and Kashmir. His name is L-G, but he is a king,” Rahul said.

Furthermore, Rahul pledged to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. “Our first step would be to restore statehood in Jammu and Kashmir. We wished for this restoration before the assembly elections, but the BJP was not willing and wanted the polls to be held first,” the Congress leader told the gathering.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Polls 2024

Polling to elect 90 members of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be held on September 18, 25, and October 1. The Congress and the National Conference have entered into a pre-poll alliance for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, being held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019.

According to the seat-sharing pact reached by the National Conference (NC) and Congress, the former will contest 51 seats and the latter 32 seats. The two parties will have friendly contests on five seats and they left one seat each for the CPI(M) and the Panthers Party.