Rahul Gandhi arrives in Jammu; to pay obeisance at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine

Jammu: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrived in Jammu on Thursday on a two-day visit during which he will make a pilgrimage on foot to the famous cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Trikuta hills of Reasi district.

The former Congress chief was accorded a rousing reception at the Jammu airport by party workers and leaders. He has reached Katra, the basecamp for the pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine, a party leader said.

He said Gandhi was received at the airport by senior Congress leaders led by Jammu and Kashmir Congress Committee president Ghulam Ahmad Mir.

“Gandhi has reached Katra and will journey by foot to the cave shrine on Thursday along with Congress leaders to pay obeisance to the deity,” Ghulam Ahmad Mir told PTI, adding, “We have not scheduled any political engagements on the first day of his tour.”

On Friday, Gandhi will interact with party delegates at JK Resorts in Jammu’s Trikuta Nagar from 11 am to 12.3O pm. After an interaction with the senior party leaders over lunch, he will return to Delhi by 3.30 pm flight, Mir said.

This is Rahul Gandhi’s second visit to Jammu and Kashmir within a month. He was in Srinagar on August 9 and 10, where he inaugurated the party’s new office.