Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should visit Manipur, which has been on the boil since ethnic violence erupted last year.
“I feel that it is important that the Prime Minister come here, listen to the people of Manipur, try & understand what is going on in Manipur. After all, Manipur is a proud state of the Indian Union...even if there was no tragedy, the Prime Minister should have come to Manipur,” Gandhi said at a press conference in Imphal.
“In this huge tragedy, I request the Prime Minister to take 1-2 days of his time and just come and listen to the people of Manipur. It will comfort the people of Manipur. We are, as the Congress party, ready to support anything that would improve the situation here,” the Congress leader, who met the victims at relief camps in the north eastern state, was quoted by ANI as saying.
Recalling his visit to the strife-torn state, Gandhi said,"It's the third time I have come here since the problem started and it has been a tremendous tragedy. I was expecting some improvement in the situation but I was disappointed to see that the situation is still nowhere near what it should be."
“I visited the camps and heard the people there, heard their pain. I came here to listen to them, to build confidence in them and as somebody who is in the opposition, to try and apply pressure on the govt so that it acts. Here, the need of the hour is peace. Violence is hurting everybody,” the Congress MP said.
“Thousands of families have been harmed, properties have been destroyed, family members have been killed and I have never seen anywhere in India what is going on here. The State is completely split in two and it is a tragedy for everybody involved. I want to tell all the people of Manipur, 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.
Violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 last year following clashes during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.
What PM Modi said on Manipur in Parliament?
Last week in Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said instances of violence had declined in Manipur. He added that the reopening of schools, offices, and establishments in the state is a sign of normalcy being restored.
