'Vote chori' main issue today, PM Modi's Manipur visit no 'big deal': Rahul Gandhi

Junagadh: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said Manipur has been in trouble for a long time and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the strife-torn state now is not a "big deal" as he insisted "vote chori" (vote theft) remains the main issue before the country currently.

Talking to reporters outside the Keshod airport in Junagadh district of Gujarat, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha claimed everywhere people are raising "vote chor" (vote thief) slogan.

After landing at the airport in the afternoon, Gandhi reached Junagadh city where is scheduled to address district and city unit presidents of the Congress in Gujarat and interact with senior leaders.

When reporters sought Gandhi's comments on PM Modi's scheduled visit to Manipur on Saturday, the Congress MP sought to downplay his tour to the trouble-torn north-eastern state.

"Manipur has been in trouble for a long time and the PM has decided to go there now. So that's not a big deal. The main issue today in India is 'vote chori' (vote theft)," asserted Gandhi.

Modi will visit Manipur on September 13 and interact with internally displaced people in Churachandpur and state capital Imphal. This will be the PM's first visit to Manipur since ethnic violence broke out in the state two years ago.

"They stole the elections of Haryana and Maharashtra. We proved that in Karnataka recently. So, the main issue is vote theft. Everywhere people are raising 'vote chor' (vote thief) slogan," said the Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli.

A training camp for local party leaders is being organised in Junagadh from September 10 to 19 as part of the Congress' 'Sangathan Srujan Abhiyan' (campaign to strengthen the organisation) in the BJP-ruled state.

The camp was inaugurated on Wednesday by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

"Rahul Gandhi will address district and city unit presidents and interact with senior leaders of the party. He will be at the event for nearly three hours before leaving for Delhi," Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said.