New Delhi [India], May 24 (ANI): Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, on Saturday left for Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, where he will be meeting residents affected by cross-border shelling by Pakistan.

The Congress leaders have said that his visit is to extend solidarity with the bereaved families who were the victims of Pakistani aggression.

'Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Shri @RahulGandhi will be visiting Poonch tomorrow May 24th to meet the families bereaved during the shelling by Pakistan very recently. Earlier, he had visited Srinagar on April 25th to meet with those injured during the brutal Pahalgam terror attack and many other stakeholders. He had also met with the LG and the CM then,' AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh had said in a post on X.

On Friday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also informed the media of Rahul Gandhi's visit.

'Yes, he will visit Poonch. He will meet the people there and express his sympathies. I am thankful to the TMC for initiating it. Five of their members came here and visited by road. They visited Poonch, and they are now in Rajouri. Then will visit Jammu. It is good that they came here and are listening to the people. And we feel that some people are standing with us in such difficult times,' he said.

Jammu and Kashmir CM further emphasised the responsibility of elected representatives to engage with the public and address their concerns, stating that his government is committed to listening to the people and working on their issues.

'It is the duty of an elected government or representatives elected by the people to reach out to people as much as possible, hear their issues and grievances, and try to resolve them. We never said that all issues would be resolved at once. But we have definitely said that we will hear everyone as much as possible and try to work on it. I am doing exactly the same,' he said.

Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Rajouri districts have been affected during the recent conflict with Pakistan. The Pakistani side had indulged in unprovoked firing across the border due to which locals suffered damage to their homes and lost their sources of livelihood. The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of those killed. (ANI)