Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on 2-day visit to violence-hit Manipur

New Delhi [India], June 29 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday left from Delhi airport for a two-day visit to violence-hit Manipur

The Congress leader will be in Manipur on June 29 and 30 during which he is scheduled to visit relief camps and interact with civil society representatives in Imphal and Churachandpur.

"Rahul Gandhi will visit relief camps and meet people displaced by the ethnic clashes and also interact with representatives of civil society in Imphal and Churachandpur during the visit," Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said in a tweet.

Ethnic clashes broke out in the State nearly two months ago on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).

"Rahul Gandhi ji will be visiting Manipur on 29-30 June. He will visit relief camps and interact with civil society representatives in Imphal and Churachandpur during his visit. Manipur has been burning for nearly two months and desperately needs a healing touch so that society can move from conflict to peace. This is a humanitarian tragedy and it is our responsibility to be a force of love, not hate," said KC Venugopal in a tweet.

Congress has been vocal on Manipur since the outbreak of violence started in the BJP-ruled state.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has "left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation" while appealing for peace and harmony in the state.

Notably, the BJP is under fire from the Opposition and other quarters over the continuing violence in Manipur.

The Congress has been making scathing attacks against the BJP governments, both at the Centre and in the state of Manipur, over their handling of the violence.

The party has already demanded the removal of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Earlier on June 24, Home Minister Shah held an all-party meeting in Delhi and gave an assurance of restoring peace in the state, while the opposition parties questioned PM Narendra Modi's 'silence' on the matter at the all-party meeting on the violence in Manipur.

BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, and CPI (M) MP John Brittas, among other leaders, were present in the meeting.

However, BJP hit out at Gandhi over his visit to the state with Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar slamming him.

"I expect Rahul to do the same type of vulture politics he is famous for. He will either go abroad five times in a month and tear down Indian democracy or he will go to where people are suffering and use that as a photo opportunity for his vulture politics," Chandrasekhar said.

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