New Delhi/Noida/London | By Akshara Dinkar & Sakshi Sinha (from London)
In a humanitarian gesture, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has pledged to support 22 children from Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch region who lost their parents or sole breadwinners in Pakistani shelling following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent India-Pakistan conflict under ‘Operation Sindoor’.
According to Tariq Hamid Karra, President of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress Committee, Rahul Gandhi will personally bear the educational expenses of these children, ensuring their schooling continues uninterrupted until they graduate.
“The first instalment of the aid will be released on Wednesday to help these children resume their education,” said Karra.
“Rahul Gandhi’s support will continue until each child completes their graduation.”
This move by Rahul Gandhi has been widely welcomed by civil society groups, Congress workers, and local leaders in Jammu and Kashmir. Many have called it a “deeply compassionate” response to the human cost of cross-border conflict.
The children, now orphaned due to the relentless shelling and violence in the border areas, will receive not just financial assistance but also emotional and psychological support through various welfare channels being coordinated by the Congress party.
“Rahul Gandhi has shown that politics can have a heart,” said a local Congress worker in Poonch. “In times when these children needed hope, he chose to stand by them.”
This marks a significant step in Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to engage more directly with conflict-affected regions and reflects his growing emphasis on grassroots welfare and social justice in his public life.
