"PM Modi must visit": Rahul Gandhi calls for peace in strife-torn Manipur, calls for the Prime Minister's attention to the "tragedy"

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday visited the strife-torn state of Manipur on Monday and visited relief camps, taking stock of the ground situation. “Here, the need of the hour is peace” said Gandhi during his third visit, urging the Prime Minister to visit Manipur and “understand the people.”

“This is the third time that I have come here since the problem started, and it has been a tremendous tragedy. Frankly, I was expecting some improvement in the situation, but I am disappointed to see that the situation is nowhere near to where it should be. I visited the camps and heard the people there, and heard their pain. Here, the need of the hour is peace… I have never seen anywhere in India what is going on here,” said Rahul Gandhi addressing a press conference. I want to tell the people of Manipur that I come here as your brother, I come here as somebody who wants to help you, who wants to work with you, to bring back peace in Manipur,” he added.

The Leader of the Opposition of the Lok Sabha visited relief camps in the Jiribam and Churachandpur districts. Rahul Gandhi met with Governor Anusuiya Uikey at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal and conveyed his dissatisfaction with the way the ruling government has dealt with the situation in Manipur, stating that he and his party are ready to do to help the people of the state. “I don’t want to go into further politicizing this issue, it’s not my intention. As I said that I come here as a brother, as a family member and I understand that the entirety of Manipur, all of it, is in pain, is suffering, and needs to get out of this suffering as soon as possible…,” said the Rae Bareli MP.

In his address, Rahul Gandhi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Manipur and “try and understand” the problem of its people. “I feel that it is important that the Prime Minister come here, listen to the people of Manipur, try and understand what is going on in Manipur. After all, Manipur is a proud state of the Indian Union…In this huge tragedy, I request the Prime Minister to take one or two days of his time and just come and listen to the people of Manipur,” said Gandhi.

The senior Congress leader was accompanied by the two newly elected MPs of Manipur, Bimol Akoijam, and Alfred Kan-Ngam Arthur, along with other party leaders on his visit. “The visit tells you the difference between Congress and BJP, tells you the difference between two kinds of leaders, one exemplified by Rahul Gandhi, and another exemplified by Narendra Modi,” said Bimol Akoijam, the Inner Manipur MP.

The northeastern state of Manipur has been reeling under the violence that had ensued owing to ethnic clashes that broke out in the state since May 3, 2023. Over 200 people have lost their lives, and thousands have been displaced.