Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh slammed Rahul Gandhi over Congress’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and questioned if he was in the northeast state to engage in politics, news agency PTI reported. Launching a blistering attack on the Congress leader, CM Singh questioned whether Gandhi had come to mess with the people when the situation in the violence-hit state was getting better. His remarks came hours after Congress flagged off the yatra from Thoubal district in Manipur on Sunday.
While responding to media queries at the sideline of a programme in Imphal, the Manipur CM said, “Given the current situation in the state, is it a time for politics by holding a rally? It is the time to protect lives and properties, and provide consolation,” as quoted by PTI. He alleged that it actually is ‘Bharat Todo’ (Break India) yatra and not ‘Bharat Jodo’ (Unite India).
“The situation is becoming better and we doubt if he (Gandhi) has come to mess with it. Whenever he comes, there is a problem. This time, Manipur is on alert. If he comes, we have to be on alert so that he does not mess with things,” Singh further stated.
Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra
Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched his second large-scale outreach campaign, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, from the Khongjom War Memorial, a site of historical significance. The Yatra commenced at 03.44 pm. Gandhi’s over two-month-long Yatra from the country’s east to west will culminate in Mumbai in March, after covering 110 districts.
The Yatra will visit 100 Lok Sabha segments across 15 states before concluding in Mumbai on March 20 or 21. Aside from Manipur, the yatra will travel through four northeastern states: Nagaland (257 kilometres on two days), Arunachal Pradesh (55 kilometres in one day), Meghalaya (five kilometres in one day), and Assam (833 kilometres in eight days).
Following that, the yatra will visit West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
Rahul Gandhi’s Previous Visit To Manipur
In June last year, weeks after the violence broke out in the state, and met the affected people lodged in relief camps in several districts.
However, the police had stopped his convoy going to Churachandpur from Imphal, fearing violence along the route, leading to chaos for several hours, as reported by PTI. Finally, the Congress leader took a helicopter to reach Churachandpur.
Manipur Violence
More than 180 people have died in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur so far. According to PTI, clashes first broke out on May 3 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
