Imphal: Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all political leaders in the country to visit Manipur and assess the ongoing tragedies resulting from the conflict between two communities in the Northeastern state.
“I want to tell the Prime Minister to come to Manipur and try to understand what is happening here. Listen to and understand the pain of the people here,” Gandhi told reporters at the Congress Bhavan in Imphal, after visiting four relief camps set up in three districts of Manipur and one in the Cachar district of Assam.
“The whole country wants that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come to Manipur and listen to the people, so that people get confidence,” he added.
Rahul Gandhi described the situation in Manipur as unprecedented in his experience.
He also expressed concern over the lack of improvement in the conditions faced by victims of the ethnic violence since his previous visit.
“I have come to Manipur for the third time. I thought there would have been a lot of improvement on the ground, but sadly I did not see any improvement,” Gandhi said.
This marked his third visit to Manipur, following the eruption of violence on May 3, 2023.
After touring the camps, Gandhi met with the Governor of Manipur at the Raj Bhavan. He emphasized the Congress party’s readiness to provide all possible assistance to support the victims of the violence and called for a political solution to achieve peace.
“I want to say that violence and hatred will not solve anything. Love, respect and brotherhood can be the solution. We spoke to the Governor and told her that the Congress Party will do whatever it can,” said the senior Congress leader.
Gandhi also voiced his dissatisfaction after hearing the grievances of the internally displaced persons in the relief camps, stressing the urgent need for peace to enable the development of all communities in the state.