Rahul Gandhi interacts with Army veterans during his ongoing Ladakh visit

Leh: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who is on a visit to Ladakh, on Monday interacted with Army veterans in the main market here.

Rahul Gandhi was seen waving at people, who swarmed the streets to catch a glimpse of the Wayanad MP. 

Rahul is on his first visit to Ladakh since Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories, Ladakh and J-K.

The former Congress president also interacted with Army Veterans in the area. The interaction with Army veterans came days after, the Congress leader hit out at the Centre, saying that its claim that not an inch of Indian land was taken by China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) troops “is not true”.

The Congress MP claimed the locals, too, contend that Indian territory was intruded upon and taken by the Chinese troops, adding that it was a matter of concern.

He also paid tribute to his father and former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, on his 79th birth anniversary from the banks of Pangong Lake in Ladakh on Sunday morning.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, after laying floral tributes to a framed photograph of the former PM by a gleaming Pangong Tso lake on an overcast Sunday morning, the Congress leader said, “The locals here are concerned about China taking our land. They have said that the Chinese troops took away their grazing land. However, the PM says not an inch of land was taken away. This is not true, you can ask anyone here,” Rahul said.

Earlier on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi embarked on a bike ride to Pangong Lake in Ladakh.

Rahul Gandhi arrived in Leh to begin his two-day visit to the Union Territory on Thursday and later decided to extend his tour till August 25.

Congress and National Conference have forged a pre-poll alliance against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Kargil council polls scheduled to be held on September 10.

Although the Congress MP visited Srinagar and Jammu twice earlier this year, he, however, did not travel to Ladakh.

In January, the Congress leader visited Jammu and Srinagar during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Again on a personal visit in February, he visited the Gulmarg ski resort.