No improvement in Manipur situation, says Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, during his visit to Manipur, expressed disappointment over the lack of progress in the violence-torn state.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Rahul Gandhi also criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the state and urged him to witness the ground reality.
Gandhi visited relief camps in Churachandpur, Moirang as well as in Jiribam. Later, Gandhi also met Manipur governor Anusuiya Uikey.
Speaking to reporters in Imphal, he 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 government so that it acts. Here, the need of the hour is peace. Violence is hurting everybody,” he 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.”
Rahul Gandi highlighted the ongoing conflict, which has claimed over 200 lives, mostly Christians, and displaced more than 60,000 people since it began on May 3 last year. He described the ethnic divide between the Kukis (Christian-dominated) and Meiteis (Hindu-majority) as a tremendous tragedy and called for immediate action to restore peace.
