PM Modi not willing to end Manipur violence: Rahul Gandhi in Meghalaya

Guwahati: Continuing his attack on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi concerning the violence in Manipur, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday charged that Modi is not willing to put an end to the violence in the Northeastern state where more than 200 people have died in nearly nine months.

"It's astonishing to me that the PM of India hasn't visited Manipur yet where many have died and thousands became homeless. Is Manipur not an Indian state? Are the people of Manipur not part of India? If the PM wants to stop the violence in Manipur, he can do it in three days. The truth is, he is not interested in putting an end to the violence in Manipur," Gandhi said while addressing a gathering at Nongpoh in Meghalaya, as part of Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra on Monday evening.

"If he gives an order today, I am sure our army can put an end to the violence in a few days."

Gandhi said he decided to begin the Yatra from Manipur as the ideology of the RSS and BJP has destroyed the idea of Manipur. "The politics of hatred and violence have torn the state apart, causing hundreds of deaths and thousands of people to lose their property. It's a complete tragedy! That's why we wanted to send a message to the rest of India about the pain the people of Manipur are feeling."

Alleging that BJP and RSS were attacking the foundations of the country, the former Congress president said, "The idea that all religions should live harmoniously in India and that all communities, languages and traditions should be respected was under attack. To protect the idea of India, we walked from the sea to the mountains of Kashmir. We listened to the voices of farmers, labourers and young people."

"After the Yatra from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, many people wanted us to listen to the voices of the people living in North-East, Odisha, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. So we decided to go ahead with another Yatra from Manipur to Maharashtra."

The 67-day yatra began on January 14 in Manipur and is scheduled to culminate in Maharashtra on March 20. It will cover 6,713 kms traversing 15 states.

Gandhi had visited Manipur in June, amid the violence and had slammed the Prime Minister for not visiting the conflict-torn state.