New Delhi: 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.
Today, I met with a group of Manipuri people living in Delhi who shared their heartbreaking struggles since the onset of the conflict in their region. They spoke of the pain of being separated from loved ones and the physical and mental toll the conflict has taken on their… pic.twitter.com/VuO1azgqaz
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 15, 2024
Out of concern for their safety and fearing retribution, they requested that their faces not be shown, 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.
Congress leaders said the meeting underscores Gandhi's commitment to addressing the concerns of all Indians and sends a "strong message" that the plight of Manipur cannot be ignored.
The meeting, held shortly after Gandhi's attendance at the Red Fort celebrations, was a message of solidarity to the people from the northeastern state, they said.
The Manipuri people who met Gandhi shared with the Congress leader their pain of being cut off from their friends and families and about the friendships that have ended as a result of the conflict, sources in the party said.
They also spoke of the problems of physical safety, mental health and challenges to relief efforts being faced by the people of Manipur, the sources said.
They discussed their views on the causes of the conflict, which has created deep bitterness between communities, the sources added.
The group told Gandhi that Manipur's diversity makes it a mini-India.
They expressed hope that a solution could be found where communities could co-exist with tolerance, which is core to the idea of India, the sources 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 trip to Manipur last month, Gandhi had requested Modi to visit the ethnic violence-affected state 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 Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh had said at a press conference in Imphal.