Guwahati: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit riot-hit Manipur on July 8. This will be Gandhi’s third visit to the Northeastern state since the ethnic clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May last year.
During a press conference in Imphal earlier in the day, Manipur Congress chief K. Meghachandra announced that Rahul Gandhi would travel from Delhi to Silchar by flight and then head to the Jiribam district, where fresh violence occurred on June 6.
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“Gandhi will visit some relief camps in the district. He will then return to Silchar airport and from there take a flight to Imphal,” Meghachandra said.
“After landing in Imphal, he will head to Churachandpur district to interact with people living in relief camps,” he added.
From Churachandpur, the Congress leader is scheduled to go to Moirang in Bishnupur district by road and visit some relief camps. He will then return to Delhi.
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“Gandhi has visited the state twice since the outbreak of violence on May 3 last year. He has visited relief camps to learn about the pains and sorrows of the people,” said Congress Legislature Party leader in Manipur, O. Ibobi Singh.
Sources close to the party told news agency that Rahul Gandhi would also meet several Congress leaders in Manipur.
The announcement comes days after Rahul Gandhi, while speaking in Lok Sabha, accused the BJP-led government of pushing Manipur into a “civil war” due to its policies and politics. He also criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the state since ethnic violence broke out there.
“You have immersed Manipur into a civil war. Manipur has been burnt by you, your policies, and your politics,” he said.
“For the prime minister, there is no state of Manipur. We urged the prime minister to give a message, to go there. But no. You cannot get a reply from the prime minister,” he added.
Rahul Gandhi visited Manipur in June 2023 and at the start of the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ earlier this year.