ANANTNAG : Visiting Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since it was struck by devastating floods, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi today said their party is with the people of the state and assured all help to mitigate their suffering.
“Congress party is with you. We will take up your issues with the Government and help you in whichever way we can,” Rahul said while addressing a gathering of flood affected people at Dehruna village, 12 kms from here.
He said the party shares the grief of the people and has been helping them since the floods hit the Valley.
“Our organisation, including Congress party, Youth and Women Congress, NSUI, RGF and local leaders have been working here since the floods hit. It is a time of grief and we came here to see for ourselves (the destruction caused by floods). We will visit other places as well,” Rahul said.
The mother and son duo, who are on a two day visit to the state, accompanied by senior party leaders including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad visited a rehabilitation camp at the village and distributed relief material.
Eighteen families, whose houses were destroyed by the floods, are living in tents at the camp supported by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF).
The Congress leaders visited each tent while distributing relief materials like ration-kits, cloth material, traditional Kashmiri cloak ‘Pheran’, for both men and women and other daily use items.
“Sonia said she would take up our issues with the government and do everything she can to help us,” said Riyaz Ahmad Malik, whose house was washed away by the floods that wreaked havoc here earlier this month.
Riyaz said they had taken refuge at a High School nearby when struck by floods, but were later shifted to a rehabilitation camp by their Congress MLA and state Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir and were provided relief material.
Mir, who represents South Kashmir’s Dooru constituency in the state Assembly, said Sonia and Rahul assured every help to the affected people. Shelter is currently the main demand of the people, he added.
“As winters are approaching, people asked Sonia and Rahul to provide them with some sort of shelter. Congress party will pool in resources to provide a house to live in for these 18 families,” said Mir. (AGENCIES)
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