Rahul Gandhi writes to PM Modi; asks him to not ‘force’ Kashmiri Pandit employees to return to Valley

New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the safety and security of Kashmiri Pandit employees who do not want to return to the Valley without a guarantee of their security.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Congress MP said he met a delegation of Kashmiri Pandit employees during the recent ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ when it entered Jammu and Kashmir and they told him that the administration is forcing them to return to the valley for work. Rahul Gandhi urged PM Modi not to force Kashmiri Pandit government employees to return to the Valley amid the “targeted killings” by the terrorists till the situation improves.

“Hope you are well. Through this letter, I want to draw your attention to the plight of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community from the Kashmir Valley. The recent spate of targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits and others by terrorists has created an atmosphere of fear and despair in the valley,” the letter reads.

“Prime Minister, a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits met me during the Jammu leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. They told me that the government officials are forcing them to go back to work in the Kashmir Valley,” he said.

The Congress leader further suggested that the government can accommodate these Kashmiri Pandit employees in other departments.

“In these circumstances, sending them back to Kashmir valley when the safety and security situation is clearly not good is a cruel move. Till the situation improves, the government can use the services of these Kashmiri Pandit employees in other administrative and public facilities,” said Rahul Gandhi in a letter to PM Modi.
He further alleged that Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had use words like “beggars” Kashmiri Pandits.

“When the Kashmiri Pandits, pleading for their safety and their family’s concerns, are expecting sympathy and affection from the government, then it is irresponsible for the Lt. Governor to use words like “beggars” for them. Prime Minister may not be familiar with this insensitive approach of the local administration,” Rahul Gandhi said in his letter.

The Congress leader said that he has assured the Kashmiri Pandit employees of conveying their message of concerns and demands to the Prime Minister, and urge him on their behalf to take appropriate steps in this regard.

“I have assured the Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters that I will try my best to convey their concerns and demands to you. I hope that you will take appropriate steps in this regard as soon as you get this information. May the blessings of Mata Kheer Bhavani be with you,” he added in his letter.

The Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra ended in Jammu and Kashmir last week.