'Manipur United in Affection for Rahul Gandhi': K.C. Venugopal on Day 2 of Congress Yatra

Senapati (Manipur): On day two of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Congress’ general secretary and Rajya Sabha lawmaker K.C. Venugopal said that the Meitei and Kuki communities are united in their affection for Rahul Gandhi as civil society groups urged the former Congress president to raise the demand in parliament to ensure prime minister Modi visits Manipur.

Speaking to The Wire in Manipur’s Senapati on Monday (January 15), Venugopal said that Gandhi’s visit to the violence hit state has received "positive feedback from both Meiteis and Kukis."

Manipur has been in the grip of ethnic violence since May 3, 2023. Nearly 200 people have died and over 50,000 displaced. 

“You can see the situation in the state-people from one part of the state cannot travel to the other part,” said Venugopal to The Wire.

Amid the ongoing violence, Manipur is sharply divided between the hills where the population is dominated by Kukis and the plains including capital Imphal which is Meitei dominated, with people from the two communities staying in their areas and not being able to travel to the parts where the other community is dominant.

“Yet amid all this division, when Rahul Gandhi met Meitei groups they were very happy to see him yesterday and when he met people from the Kuki community today, they too were very happy to see him. The communities might be divided in Manipur but they are united in their affection for Rahul Gandhi,” said Venugopal.

Day two of the yatra saw Gandhi beginning his journey from Sekmei in Manipur’s Imphal West, passing through Kangpokpi, one of the areas that that saw large-scale ethnic violence, to Senapati (which has a predominantly Naga population) before stopping for the night in Khuzama, Nagaland on the Manipur-Nagaland border.

Rahul Gandhi in Manipur on day two of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Photo: By arrangement.

'Make PM visit Manipur before Lok Sabha elections'

Congress MP and general secretary media in-charge Jairam Ramesh told reporters in Karong village, Senapati, that the civil groups that had met Gandhi over the last two days wanted him to raise their demand in parliament that prime minister Narendra Modi should visit Manipur before the Lok Sabha elections.

“Earlier, when we used to come to Manipur, we used to meet Manipuri organisations. Today in Manipur we have to meet organisations of different communities,” said Ramesh.

“Everyone has told Rahul Gandhi that there is a need for a sensitive, transparent, accountable and strong governance in Manipur. The civil society groups also told him that the Congress should demand in the Budget Session of Parliament that Modi should come to Manipur before Lok Sabha elections.”

Unlike the south-north Bharat Jodo Yatra that was conducted from October 2022 to January 2023, this yatra is being conducted mostly by bus with some parts on foot with Gandhi stopping to interact with locals at various points on the way.

“I understand that you have faced a tragedy, you have lost family members, you have lost property and I want you to know that we are fully standing with you, we want to bring peace back to Manipur. We want to make Manipur peaceful and harmonious again,” said Gandhi while addressing a crowd that had gathered in Senapati.

The yatra from Manipur to Maharashtra will cover a total of 6,700 kms across 110 districts, 100 Lok Sabha seats, and 337 assembly constituencies. 

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.