Rahul Gandhi's gaffe on Kashmiri Pandits; calls them PoK refugees

New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi faced massive backlash on Wednesday after he referred to Kashmiri Pandits as refugees from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in a rally held in Jammu. 

During his speech, Gandhi was speaking about the unfulfilled promises made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Kashmiri Pandits, who were displaced from the Kashmir Valley due to insurgency in the early 1990s. 

However, Gandhi referred to these Pandits as "refugees from PoK," a region with its own distinct set of issues and a different historical context of displacement.

Gandhi quickly corrected his mistake, reiterating his commitment to fulfil the promises made to Kashmiri Pandits. 

However, the damage was done, and the BJP was quick to seize the moment. 

BJP's IT cell head, Amit Malviya, took to social media, criticizing Gandhi's error, suggesting that such a misstatement reveals a lack of understanding or sensitivity towards the distinct plights of Kashmiri Pandits and PoK refugees.

Then Sam Pitroda wants us to believe that he isn’t Pappu anymore… a man who is the Leader of Opposition can’t distinguish between refugees from PoK and Kashmiri Pandits.

The mess in Kashmir is a legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru. As if that wasn’t enough, we now have Rahul Gandhi also. pic.twitter.com/xKFhpirM2Z

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 25, 2024

On the defensive, Congress spokespersons and supporters argued that Gandhi's overall message was about addressing the grievances of all displaced communities, including Kashmiri Pandits, and that the misstatement was an unintentional oversight in the heat of a rally.