Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit violence-hit Manipur on Thursday. AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal announced that Gandhi will interact with society representatives in Imphal and Churachandpur during his visit.
“Manipur has been burning for almost two months and is in desperate need of a healing touch to move the society from conflict to peace. This is a humanitarian tragedy and it is our responsibility to be a force of love, not hate,” the Congress leader added.
More than 100 people have lost their lives since violence erupted in the northeastern state on May 3. Clashes broke out during the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
The Meitei community constitutes about 53 percent of the state’s population and lives in the Imphal Valley. On the other hand, tribes like Nagas and Kukis constitute 40 percent of the population and live in the mountainous regions.
The announcement of Rahul Gandhi’s visit comes after an all-party meeting on the situation in Manipur was held in New Delhi last week. Besides raising the demand for an all-party delegation to the violence-hit state, the opposition has called for the removal of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the violence in Manipur. “No amount of ‘propaganda’ by the BJP-led government can cover up its ‘colossal failure’ in handling the situation in Manipur,” Kharge tweeted.
“If Modiji is really interested in Manipur, then the first thing he should do is sack his chief minister,” Kharge added.
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