Rahul Gandhi announced that he would take responsibility for 22 children orphaned by Pakistani shelling in Poonch. He termed it a national tragedy and demanded concrete steps from the government.
Rahul Gandhi Support: In May, heavy shelling by Pakistan in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir devastated many families. This shelling occurred at a time when the Indian Army had conducted missile strikes on nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under 'Operation Sindoor'. These attacks were aimed at avenging the terrorist massacre in Pahalgam, in which 26 innocent civilians lost their lives.
Following this retaliation, there was a surge in incidents of firing and mortar shelling by Pakistan in the border areas. This violence claimed the lives of several innocent civilians, including many parents. As a result of these incidents, 22 children were orphaned.
Rahul Gandhi fulfilled his humanitarian responsibility
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, visited Poonch and met with the affected families. He described the incident as "a major humanitarian tragedy." During his interaction with the affected people, Rahul Gandhi tried to understand their problems and assured them that he would raise this issue at the national level. It was during this conversation that it came to light that 22 children, who had lost their parents in Pakistani firing, were now in dire need of support.
Playing the role of a sensitive and responsible leader, Rahul Gandhi announced on this occasion that he would take full responsibility for these 22 children. This would include the children's education, living arrangements, health, and future care. He said that it was his personal and moral duty to take care of these children, which is a matter of serious concern for the nation.
Operation Sindoor and its Background
'Operation Sindoor' was launched by the Indian Armed Forces on May 7. Its objective was to avenge the attack carried out by terrorists in Pahalgam and to eliminate terrorist hideouts across the border. In this military operation, nine hideouts of organizations like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba inside Pakistan and PoK were targeted.
These hideouts included terrorist command centers located in areas such as Bahawalpur and Muridke. Following this surgical strike-like action by India, Pakistan retaliated by intensifying shelling near the Line of Control (LoC).
The Opposition's question to the government
Rahul Gandhi directly questioned the government on this issue in Parliament. He said that the entire country stood with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, so why was Operation Sindoor suddenly stopped? He asked that if Pakistan was in a weak position and kneeling, then why did India decide to back down instead of moving forward? He also cited the statement of US President Donald Trump, in which he said that he had mediated in bringing about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Rahul Gandhi sought clarification from the government on whether India stopped the operation under American pressure.
