Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Monday started his northeast visit by meeting flood victims at a relief camp in Lakhipur, Assam. He then visited a relief camp in Manipur's Jiribam district, a party leader said.
Gandhi visited the Jiribam Higher Secondary School relief camp and talked to the inmates, he said.
"At Jiribam relief camp, Gandhi talked to the internally displaced people," he said. Gandhi had earlier visited a relief camp in Assam and interacted with violence-affected people after which he headed for Jiribam by road, he added.
Rahul Gandhi Meets Assam Flood Victims
Rahul Gandhi met flood-affected victims in a relief camp in Assam’s Lakhipur. He was received at the airport by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhupen Borah and other senior party leaders.
Borah submitted a memorandum to Gandhi urging him to take up the issue of the devastating flood with the Centre as a special case to get adequate relief and compensation for the severe losses incurred due to the deluge.
''We will be grateful to you for carrying our voice of agony to the Centre'', he said.
Assam should get a package to tackle the grim situation, ''as the state government has failed to get adequate funds from the Centre, a double failure of the double engine government", Borah added.
Rahul Gandhi’s Manipur Visit
Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit three relief camps in Manipur to interact with people displaced by the ethnic violence, which began on May 3 last year. Gandhi visited Manipur in June 2023 and also for the start of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra earlier this year.
Initiating the debate on behalf of the opposition in the Lower House of Parliament on the Motion of Thanks for the President's address in the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha last week, Gandhi had accused the BJP-led government of pushing Manipur into a "civil war" due to its policies and politics.
The Congress leader had also criticised Prime Minister Modi for not visiting the state since ethnic violence broke out there.
Replying to a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Motion of Thanks for the President's address, Prime Minister Modi had said the Centre was working with the state government and others to restore normalcy in the state.
He had said that more than 500 people have been arrested and over 11,000 FIRs have been registered in Manipur.
Manipur plunged into violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May last year. Since then, some 200 people have been killed while thousands have been displaced following large-scale arson that gutted homes and government buildings.
Congress Slams Modi, ‘Non-Biological PM Goes To Moscow'
The Congress on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying while it will be Rahul Gandhi's third visit to Manipur since violence broke out in May last year, the PM has neither found the time nor even had the inclination to visit the state for even a few hours.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Today, the non-biological PM goes to Moscow while the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha heads for Assam and Manipur."
"Of course, the drumbeaters of the non-biological PM have claimed that he stopped the Russia-Ukraine war for some time. Presumably, this Moscow trip will lead to even more bizarre claims," he said.
This is Rahul Gandhi's third visit to Manipur ever since the "state blew up" fourteen months ago, Ramesh said.
"The non-biological PM has not found the time nor even had the inclination to visit Manipur even for a few hours after the grave crisis erupted on May 3rd, 2023, " he said.
"He (Modi) has not even met the CM of the state - who happens to be from his own party - and other political leaders of the state, including MLAs and MPs," Ramesh said.
Modi is visiting Russia on July 8 and 9 at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin to hold the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.
(With PTI Inputs)
