Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to travel to Manipur, a state devastated by ethnic violence, in order to comfort the local populace. “The PM should have visited the state long back. It is important that he visits Manipur. I request him to come to Manipur and try to understand what is happening here. People of Manipur, probably people of the entire country, want the PM to visit the state and listen to the victims’ woes. Congress is ready to support anything that would improve the situation,” Rahul Gandhi said in a press conference after his visit.
Gandhi called the events in Manipur a ‘tremendous tragedy’ and stated that the Congress is prepared to take all necessary steps to ensure peace in the state. Over 200 people have died in Manipur as a result of ethnic violence between the Kuki and Meitei clans since May of last year.
Gandhi spent a day in Manipur seeing various relief camps housing those displaced by ethnic conflict in the state’s northeast. “This is the third time I have come here since the problem started. It has been a tremendous tragedy. I was expecting some improvement in the situation. But I was quite disappointed to see that the situation is still nowhere near where it should be,” he said.
A few weeks after ethnic violence started on May 3 of last year in Manipur, Gandhi paid a visit to the region. In January 2024, he also set out on his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ from the state. This is his first trip to Manipur as the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, following the Congress’ victory in both of the state’s Lok Sabha seats.
As an opposition leader, Gandhi claimed he had come to the state to listen to the suffering of those affected by violence, instill confidence in them and exert pressure on the government to take action. “I want to tell all the people of Manipur (that) I came here as your brother, as somebody who wants to help you, wants to work with you to bring back peace in Manipur. I am ready to do whatever I can, Congress party is ready to do whatever it can to bring back peace here,” he said.
Gandhi stated that he had never witnessed in any part of India what was happening in Manipur and that respect and engagement would provide a solution, but violence and hatred would not. “The state is completely split in two and it is a tragedy for everybody involved. The entire state is suffering. If we start to think about peace and affection, it will be a very very big step for Manipur,” the Congress leader said.
The leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha said that whenever the people of Manipur want, he and his party will be available. “The Indian government and everybody who considers himself a patriot must embrace the people of Manipur,” said the Congress leader who also met Governor Anusuiya Uikey before holding the press conference.
“We expressed to the governor that we would like to help in whatever way we can. We also expressed our displeasure. We are not happy with the progress that has taken place here. I don’t want to politicise the issue, it is not my intention,” Gandhi said in the press conference.
The Congress leader did not take questions from the media people saying he has made his message clear. “I am not ready to take questions that are designed to divert the issue,” he said.
(with inputs from PTI)