Rahul Gandhi urges PM Modi 'once again' to visit violence-hit Manipur

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi again requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday to visit violence-hit Manipur and impress upon both the central and state governments to work towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict there at the earliest.

Gandhi said on Thursday, he met a group of Manipuri people living in Delhi who shared their heartbreaking struggles since ethnic clashes broke out in the northeastern state.

"They spoke of the pain of being separated from loved ones and the physical and mental toll the conflict has taken on their communities," Gandhi said in a post on X.

Out of concern for their safety, they requested that their faces not be shown, fearing retribution, the Congress leader said as he shared a picture of the Manipuri people holding his hand.

"This is the harsh reality our brothers and sisters in Manipur endure -- a state of constant fear," he said.

"As we celebrate Independence Day, let us reflect on the plight of Manipur, where true freedom remains elusive. I urge the Prime Minister once again to visit Manipur and impress upon both central and state governments to work towards a peaceful resolution at the earliest," the former Congress president said.

Ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities has claimed more than 200 lives in Manipur since May last year.

Gandhi visited the northeastern state last month -- his third visit since violence broke out there.

During his visit last month, Gandhi had requested Modi to visit the ethnic violence-affected Manipur to give solace to the people there.

"The prime minister should have visited the state long ago. It is important that he visits Manipur. I request him to come to Manipur and try and understand what is happening here. The people of Manipur, probably the people of the entire country, want the prime minister to visit the state and listen to the victims' woes. It will comfort the people. The Congress is ready to support anything that would improve the situation," the member of Parliament from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh had said at a press conference in Imphal.