Rahul Gandhi visits relief camps in Manipur; first visit to strife-torn state as Leader of Opposition

Rahul Gandhi in Manipur today: Congress Member of Parliament (MP) and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi met displaced people from the Meitei community staying in a relief camp in Manipur’s Jiribam on July 8 . Before heading to Manipur, the Congress leader was in Assam where he met with displaced Kuki-Zo members and those affected by floods. 

Gandhi is on a one-day visit to Assam and Manipur. This is his first visit to the ethnic conflict-hit Manipur after becoming LoP.

Gandhi is scheduled to fly to Silchar in Assam from the national capital. From Silchar, the Congress leader will travel to Assam’s Cachar district where he will meet displaced residents of Manipur at around 10 am before heading to Manipur where the ethnic violence between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos broke out on May 3 last year.

Rahul Gandhi Visits Relief Camps

Rahul Gandhi will also visit relief camps in Churachandpur, and Moirang, according to his scheduled shared by the Congress party. He is also scheduled to meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at 5.30 pm. The day-long visit will end with a press conference at the Manipur Congress office at 6. 15 pm.

“(Rahul) Gandhi has chosen to visit Manipur where peace is necessary.... We are grateful that he chose to visit the state after being chosen as leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha,” news agency PTI quoted a Congress leader in Manipur as saying.

'Message for PM Modi'

Rahul has visited Manipur twice before. The Congress-led Opposition INDIA bloc raised the issue of Manipur crisis repeatedly in both Houses of Parliament in the recent session.

The opposition disrupted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-hour-long reply to the debate on motion of thanks on the President’s address on July 2 chanting “Justice for Manipur” and “Bharat Jodo” slogans. In his speech, PM Modi said that efforts were on to bring peace in Manipur, with 11000 FIRs and 500 arrests made. Incidents of violence decreasing, showing potential for peace.

Senior Congress leaders have said that Rahul Gandhi’s first trip to Manipur as Lok Sabha LoP would send out a message that it is high time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the strife-torn state roiled by ethnic conflict for over a year now.

Rahul meets Assam Flood Victims

In Assam, Rahul Gandhi also met with flood victims, party leaders said. Assam Congress leaders apprised me of the situation on ground 60+ deaths, 53,000+ displaced and 24,00,000 affected. These numbers reflect the gross and grave mismanagement by BJP's double-engine government which came to power with the promise of a “flood-free Assam,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

About 22.70 lakh people in 28 districts of Assam have been affected by the floods, news agency PTI said. As many as 78 people have been killed in this year's floods, landslides and storms in the state, the agency report said.