Watch: Rahul Gandhi refers to Kashmiri Pandits as ‘PoK refugees’ at Jammu rally, BJP reacts

Gandhi was immediately attacked over his remarks, with the BJP calling him out over the mistake

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, found himself at the centre of a controversy following a slip of tongue during his speech in Jammu. Gandhi mixed up “Kashmiri Pandits” with “refugees from PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir)” during his speech.

However, on realising his mistake, the Congress leader quickly corrected himself.

“The promise that Manmohan Singh made to the refugees that came from PoK, will be fulfilled by us," said Gandhi in his speech.

He then said “sorry” and changed it to the “promise made to Kashmiri Pandits”.

The Congress leader was referring to a 2007 comment made by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at an event in Jammu. Singh had reportedly pledged to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits who were displaced due to militancy in the early 1990s. However, this goal has yet to be achieved, despite Singh's tenure from 2004 to 2014 and the subsequent two terms of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government at the Centre.

VIDEO | Addressing a public rally in Jammu earlier today, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi mistakenly referred to Kashmiri Pandits as "refugees from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK)".Recognising his mistake, Gandhi swiftly corrected himself. "Sorry, the promises made to Kashmiri pic.twitter.com/Gxp9yIRMx7
Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 25, 2024

Gandhi was immediately attacked over his remarks, with the BJP calling him out over the mistake. BJP leader Vishnu Vardhan Reddy took a jibe at the Congress leader and said “no matter how hard you try to hide the truth, it eventually comes out”.

“No matter how hard you try to hide the truth, it eventually comes out! Kudos to Rahul Gandhi for speaking the actual truth, even though by mistake…,” he wrote on X with a video of Gandhi’s speech.

Rahul Gandhi held two public rallies in Jammu and Kashmir - one in Jammu and another in Sopore. During both events, the Congress leader focused his speeches primarily on the issue of restoring statehood to the union territory.

“In the history of India, after 1947, several UTs were turned into states. States were divided – Telangana was formed out of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand was formed out of Bihar, Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. But, for the first time after independence, a state was turned into a UT. This was done to Jammu and Kashmir. This is an injustice to you. Your democratic rights have been snatched away from you,” he said.