Clear, things aren't normal in Valley: Rahul

Srinagar: An Opposition party delegation, led by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, was on Saturday stopped at the Srinagar airport and sent back to Delhi, soon after they landed here.

The delegation of 12 Opposition leaders had left Delhi by 11.50 am Air Vistara flight. It was not allowed to leave the airport, sources said.

The delegation wanted to visit the Valley to take stock of the situation. The Valley has been placed under security lockdown since August 5, when Article 370 was abrogated.

The delegation comprised the Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Sitaram Yechury, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and K.C. Venugopal, Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) Chief Sharad Yadav, Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi, DMK's Tiruchi Siva, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Majeed Memon, RJD's Manoj Jha and Janata Dal Secular's D Kupendra Reddy.

Later Rahul Gandhi said" "It is clear that things are not normal in Kashmir. I was invited by the Governor to visit the state which I accepted. I took senior leaders from the parties to see the situation, but we were not allowed to go beyond the airport, press people were mishandled, it is clear that things are not normal in the state."

On Friday, the J&K administration had advised the opposition leaders not to visit, saying attempts should not be made to disturb the gradual restoration of normalcy in the state.

The visit of the opposition delegation comes almost three weeks after the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution that accorded special status

to J&K.

Before leaving for Srinagar, Raja said they were not going to the Valley to create any law and order problem.