Rahul Gandhi to visit Assam, Manipur tomorrow; ‘Imagi Meira’ convenor warns: ‘If he is coming to do politics…’

Leader of the Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit violence-hit Manipur on Monday (July 8, 2024). This will be his third visit to the strife-torn state and first as the Leader of the Opposition to meet the violence-affected people of several districts of Manipur.

Reacting to the former Congress chief’s scheduled visit to the state on Monday, ‘Imagi Meira’ group convenor Th Sujata Devi on Sunday said they “just want to live like before and want peace in Manipur.” If the former Congress president “is coming to find a solution, then it is good. If he is coming to do politics, then that is wrong.”

It is important to note that days before the visit, the Leader of the Opposition prominently raised the issue of strife-torn Manipur during his speech in the Lok Sabha while participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address.

K Meghachandra, president Manipur Congress, said the Leader of Opposition would visit Jiribam district after arriving to Silchar via flight from Delhi.

According to Indian Express, during his day-long visit, the former Congress president is scheduled to meet violence-hit people in three relief camps at Jiribam, Churachandpur (districts), and Moirang (Bishnupur district), as well as meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey to discuss the issue.

The Manipur Congress president said that after landing in Imphal, Gandhi will head to Churachandpur district, where he will interact with people living in relief camps.

From Churachandpur, Gandhi will get to Moirang in Bishnupur district by road and visit some relief camps.

"Gandhi will visit some relief camps in the district. He will then return to the Silchar airport, and from there, take a flight to Imphal," Meghachandra told news agency PTI.

Senior Congress leaders have maintained that Gandhi’s first trip to Manipur as the LoP would send out a message that “it is high time Prime Minister Narendra Modi should also visit the strife-torn state”, which has been roiled by ethnic conflict between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zomi communities since May last year.

Gandhi to meet Assam flood victims

Gandhi is also scheduled to meet flood victims of Assam on Monday, party leaders said.

The Congress leader will arrive at the Kumbhigram airport in Silchar in Assam's Cachar district in the morning on the way to Manipur.

"From the airport, he will be going to a flood relief camp in Lakhipur and interact with the people who have taken shelter there," PTI quoted a state Congress spokesperson as saying.

About 22.70 lakh people in 28 districts of Assam were affected by the floods. A total of 78 people have been killed in this year's floods, landslides and storms in the state.