Rahul Gandhi says Manipur still 'burning', calls out PM Modi in five-minute-long video

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian parliament) Rahul Gandhi shared a video of his visit to relief camps in the Indian state of Manipur on social media platform X and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the state which has been marred by the ethnic violence.

The Congress MP, on Thursday (July 11), in a five-minute-long video, emphasised that the violence-stricken state is still in distress.

Also Read: Shankaracharya backs Rahul Gandhi on ‘Hindus and violence’ speech in Indian parliament; video goes viral

“Houses are burning, innocent lives are in danger and thousands of families are forced to live in relief camps,” wrote Gandhi in the caption posted along with the video.

Gandhi had visited Manipur for the third time since the ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023. He said that the state remains divided in two parts even today and appealed to PM Modi to make a visit to the state soon, lend his ears to the difficulties of the people and call for peace.

Rahul Gandhi hears laments of ethnic clashes

In the video shared Gandhi was seen consoling the people who expressed their troubles in the backdrop of the ethnic clashes in the state.

In the Jiribam relief camp in Manipur, one of the women was heard saying that her grandmother was stuck in a place of conflict and her whereabouts were unknown. 

“Even if we contact her, neither she can come here, nor we can go there," she added.

Meanwhile, another woman at a relief camp in Thalai said that her brother died due to medical negligence. She added that there was no sufficient medical care available in the government hospitals which led to the death of her brother. 

Watch: India: Rahul Gandhi visits relief camps in Manipur; first visit to the state as Leader of Opposition

Gandhi said that his Congress party will provide medicines at the camp. “If the government wants to end it (conflict), it can end very quickly,” he said while speaking at a relief camp in Churachandpur in Manipur.

“I can raise the issue and put pressure. But I can't assure you about going back. Because that question will be answered by the government. In the next session, I'll speak for you” he said, at the Moirang relief camp.

Violence broke out in Churachandpur on May 3 after Kukis marched in protest against the Manipur High Court's order in which the state government was directed to include the Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribes list. 

The violence soon turned into a conflict between the Kukis and the Meiteis which has led to the deaths of more than 220 people.

(With inputs from agencies)