Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrived in Manipur’s capital Imphal on Thursday for a two-day visit to the violence-hit state.

He was received by former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and President of Manipur Pradesh Congress Keisham Meghachandra Singh at the Imphal airport. Rahul Gandhi on Thursday morning left from Delhi airport for Imphal.

The Congress leader will be in Manipur on June 29 and 30 during which he is scheduled to visit relief camps and interact with civil society representatives in Imphal and Churachandpur.

“Rahul Gandhi will visit relief camps and meet people displaced by the ethnic clashes and also interact with representatives of civil society in Imphal and Churachandpur during the visit,” Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said in a tweet.

Ethnic clashes broke out in the State nearly two months ago on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).

“Rahul Gandhi ji will be visiting Manipur on 29-30 June. He will visit relief camps and interact with civil society representatives in Imphal and Churachandpur during his visit. Manipur has been burning for nearly two months and desperately needs a healing touch so that society can move from conflict to peace. This is a humanitarian tragedy and it is our responsibility to be a force of love, not hate,” said KC Venugopal in a tweet.

Further, speaking about the same, Kh Debabrata, Working President MPCC said, “Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Churachandpur to meet people staying in the relief camps and stay with the affected families. Later he will visit Moirang and will interact with the affected families and Civil Society Organisations. Tomorrow he will meet important people in Imphal and also visit two more relief camps.”

Congress has been vocal on Manipur since the outbreak of violence started in the BJP-ruled state.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has “left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation” while appealing for peace and harmony in the state.

Ajoy Kumar, AICC Incharge North East on Thursday said that there is total law and order “failure” in the state right now.

“Rahul Gandhi and Congress party has always been raising the Manipur issue. Rahul Gandhi believes that the country needs to know the situation of Manipur. There is total law and order failure in the state right now. The double-engine government has become the triple problem government. Rahul Gandhi will be meeting the people of the state and I think the government should take a lesson, after this visit,” Kumar said while speaking to ANI.
Notably, the BJP is under fire from the Opposition and other quarters over the continuing violence in Manipur.

The Congress has been making scathing attacks against the BJP governments, both at the Centre and in the state of Manipur, over their handling of the violence.

The party has already demanded the removal of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Earlier on June 24, Home Minister Shah held an all-party meeting in Delhi and gave an assurance of restoring peace in the state, while the opposition parties questioned PM Narendra Modi’s ‘silence’ on the matter at the all-party meeting on the violence in Manipur.

BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, and CPI (M) MP John Brittas, among other leaders, were present in the meeting.