The late prime minister frequently visited Kashmir and was there to witness shades of autumn even days before she was assassinated in 1984.
Twenty-five years after grandmother Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Priyanka Gandhi revived the family tradition of holidaying in the scenic Kashmir Valley.
The former prime minister frequently visited Kashmir and was there to witness shades of autumn even days before she was assassinated.
Priyanka, husband Robert Vadra and their children, Raihan and Miraya, arrived in Srinagar on Friday.
Away from the political hustle-bustle, the family celebrated Vadra’s birthday on Sunday at the Lalit Grand Palace hotel overlooking the famous Dal lake. “The family chose to keep the birthday a private affair,” a source told DNA.
They also visited the Dachigam National Park where Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah joined them and even hosted lunch for members of India’s first political family.
The Dachigam National Park is special to the family because it was one of Indira Gandhi’s favourite places.
She would unfailingly visit the park, famous for the majestic Hangul, the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir, during her trips to Kashmir. Priyanka’s father, Rajiv Gandhi, visited Kashmir in 1986, but the trip was political in nature. Sonia Gandhi too has made several officials trips to Kashmir.
People were thrilled to see someone from the Gandhi family enjoy a vacation in Kashmir after a long time. “She is the first family member after Indira who arrived in the Valley purely on a personal visit. Her father and mother made several trips here, but they were all official visits. Rahul Gandhi campaigned here as well,” said a veteran Congress worker.
“Both Jawaharlal Nehru and Sir Mohammad Iqbal were proud of their Kashmiri descent.
Nehru’s grandfather was a Kashmiri who later shifted to UP. Indira was a frequent visitor to Kashmir because she loved this place.
Priyanka is the first family member after Indira to make a personal visit,” Fida Hasnain, a noted historian of Kashmir, said.
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