Shamli: Congress president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Wednesday attended a prayer meeting of CRPF jawan Amit Kumar Kori, who was killed in the recent Pulwama terror attack, and paid tributes to the slain soldier.
The Gandhi siblings, along with Jyotiraditya Scindhia and state Congress chief Raj Babbar travelled by road to the Shamli district in UP, where a function was organized at the Raghunath temple in memory of the soldier. Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Minister, BJP’s Suresh Rana, also attended the prayer meeting.
Rahul and Priyanka were seen consoling the members of the bereaved family.
While Priyanka Gandhi spoke to the females of the family and also took their phone number, Rahul Gandhi said he was sad as well as proud of Amit Kori.
Amid chants of ‘Amit Kori Amar Rahe’ and Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, the Congress chief said he understood the pain in people’s hearts. “My sister said, in a way, the same happened to our father,” he told the family members.
Rahul Gandhi consoles the family members of a CRPF soldier killed in Pulwama attack in Shamli. (Image: Pallavi Ghosh).
"In these moments of grief, we are with you... His (Kori's) father told us that he is sad, but at the same time proud (of his son). The family gave their entire life for their son and the son gave their life for the country. The entire country wants to thank you for the sacrifice your son has made. The son gave his love, body and heart to the country. We can never forget this thing," Rahul Gandhi said.
"My sister said that in a way our father (former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi) had also met the same fate. We understand your pain and agony. We are here to sit only for five minutes with you and to tell all of you that we want to share your grief," he said, adding that no power in the world can defeat this country.
The Gandhi siblings then went on to visit the house of Pradeep Kumar, another CRPF jawan who lost his life in the Pulwama terror attack.
While on their way to Shamli, Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi along with Priyanka Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindhia and Raj Babbar stopped at Shiv Shakti Dhaba for a tea break in Kairana. The visit was kept under wraps till the last moment.
Forty CRPF personnel were killed on February 14, when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber, in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.
Among the CRPF personnel killed in the attack, 12 hailed from Uttar Pradesh, including two from Shamli.
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