Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel to Manipur to offer solace to state’s residents who have been impacted by ethnic violence. The Congress MP said that his party will do everything it can to bring peace to Manipur. Gandhi described the Manipur tragedy as “tremendous” during a press conference held in capital Imphal. “The Prime Minister should visit the state and listen to the woes of the people as it would give comfort to them,” Gandhi advised.
He claimed that he travelled to the state in order to hear about the suffering of those affected by violence and to give them hope. “We’ll exert every effort to restore harmony to Manipur… I’ve been attempting to exert pressure on the government as a member of the opposition,” he added.
Manipur is a proud State of the Indian Union – every patriot should reach out and help bring back peace here.
In the face of this huge tragedy, I request the Prime Minister to come here, listen to the people and offer them comfort.
Congress party is ready to support anything… pic.twitter.com/C6aplaBjnL
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 8, 2024
Gandhi paid visits to a number of the relief camps housing those uprooted by the ethnic violence in the state’s northeast. Since May of last year, the conflict has taken the lives of over 200 people. The Lok Sabha LoP paid a visit to Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Monday while he was in the state.
After visiting relief camps in several locations and interacting with victims of ethnic violence, the Congress leader met with Uikey in the evening at the Raj Bhavan. Details on the approximately 45-minute-long minute are not yet available.
This is Gandhi’s third visit to the state since ethnic tensions erupted in May last year. Earlier in the day, the former Congress president visited relief camps in several locations.
Refugees from the ethnic violence that has killed over 200 people in the northeastern state since May of last year are being housed in those camps.