Rahul Gandhi visits relief camps in Manipur, talks to violence victims

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi interacted with the victims of the ethnic violence in Manipur as he visited the relief camps in Jiribam and Churachandpur districts on Monday.

This is Gandhi’s first visit to Manipur after the Lok Sabha elections in which the party won both the seats from the state.

Sharing pictures of Gandhi’s visit to the relief camps, the Congress party wrote on X: “His third visit to Manipur post-violence shows his unwavering commitment to the people's cause.”

The Congress leader, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is scheduled to call on Governor Anusuiya Uikey in the evening after which he will address a press conference at the Manipur Congress office.

More than 200 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state since May last year while hundreds of others are staying in relief camps after being displaced from their villages.

Rahul had visited the state weeks after the violence broke out and later launched his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ from the state in January 2024.

In his first speech in the Lok Sabha as the LoP last month, Rahul had launched a blistering attack on the government and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over the violence in Manipur.

The Congress on Monday stepped up its attack on Modi, saying he has neither found the time nor even had the inclination to visit the state for even a few hours.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Today, the non-biological PM goes to Moscow while the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha heads for Assam and Manipur."

"Of course, the drumbeaters of the non-biological PM have claimed that he stopped the Russia-Ukraine war for some time. Presumably, this Moscow trip will lead to even more bizarre claims," he said.

Modi is visiting Russia on July 8 and 9 at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin to hold the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.