The convoy of Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Imphal on Thursday for a two-day visit to Manipur, has been halted by the police in Bishnupur.
The police cited “law and order issues” as the reason for the intervention, but declined to provide further details.
Upon his arrival, the former Congress president embarked on a planned visit to the districts of Bishnupur and Churachandpur, both heavily affected by recent ethnic violence.
However, his convoy was intercepted by the police in Bishnupur. A significant number of women had gathered in anticipation of Gandhi’s arrival, engaging in a scuffle with the security forces, urging them to permit Gandhi to visit the affected areas.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress President, swiftly condemned the actions of the Manipur Police.
In a tweet, he expressed, “Shri Rahul Gandhi’s convoy in Manipur has been stopped by the police near Bishnupur. He is visiting the region to meet the suffering people in relief camps and provide solace to the strife-torn state. Prime Minister Modi has yet to address the situation in Manipur, leaving the state to fend for itself. Now, his governments, which operate with double engines, are resorting to autocratic methods to obstruct Rahul Gandhi’s compassionate outreach. This is entirely unacceptable and undermines constitutional and democratic norms. Manipur needs peace, not confrontation.”
The BJP government’s actions against the Congress leader drew criticism from Congress General Secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, as well as state party leaders. Ramesh took to Twitter, stating, “It is highly unfortunate that the Modi government is preventing Rahul Gandhi from visiting relief camps and engaging with the people outside of Imphal. His two-day visit to Manipur is in the spirit of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. While the Prime Minister may choose silence and inaction, why impede Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to listen to all sections of Manipuri society and offer solace?”
Venugopal expressed confusion over the police’s decision, stating, “Rahul Gandhi’s convoy has been stopped by the police near Bishnupur. They claim they are unable to allow us to proceed. People have gathered on both sides of the road, eager to catch a glimpse of Rahul Gandhi. We fail to comprehend why they have halted us.”
Accompanied by AICC in-charge of several northeastern states, Ajoy Kumar, Rahul Gandhi arrived in Imphal on Thursday for a two-day visit to Manipur, where ethnic violence since May 3 has resulted in the loss of 120 lives.
Currently, over 50,000 individuals, including men, women, and children, are residing in more than 350 relief camps throughout the state.
During his visit, the senior Congress leader plans to engage with civil society organizations, tribal and non-tribal leaders, as well as prominent citizens in the districts of Bishnupur and Churachandpur.
The Congress party has been urging the imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur to restore law and order, claiming that the state’s BJP government has utterly failed to address the ongoing violence.
Earlier, several Congress delegations visited the state and subsequently met with President Droupadi Murmu in Delhi, seeking support for their demands.
The Congress leaders also attempted to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but their requests for appointments were not granted.
Okram Ibobi Singh, former three-term Chief Minister of Manipur and the current Congress Legislature Party leader, criticized the BJP-led state government for its refusal to revoke the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with Kuki militants, which was initially signed by the previous Congress administration in August 2008.
Singh emphasized that the SoO agreement was the result of extensive consultations with various national agencies, serving as a peace initiative.
The Congress firmly believes in pursuing peaceful means to find solutions, rather than resorting to violence. Singh noted that the Kuki militants adhered strictly to the ground rules of the SoO agreement during the Congress regime until 2017, but began violating those rules under the BJP government in Manipur, exploiting them for electoral gains, according to the veteran Congress leader. (Edited)
