If PM Modi wants, fire in Manipur can be doused in two-three days: Rahul in Rajasthan

Addressing a party rally in Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan's Banswara district, he alleged that the prime minister has divided Manipur and for the past two-three months, it seems that the northeastern state is not a part of India.

Jaipur:Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the ideology of the BJP has set Manipur on fire and added that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants, the flames can be doused in two-three days.

Addressing a party rally in Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan's Banswara district, he alleged that the prime minister has divided Manipur and for the past two-three months, it seems that the northeastern state is not a part of India. "The ideology of the BJP has set Manipur on fire. People are being killed...women are raped.... If Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants, the fire in Manipur can be doused in two-three days, but he wants to keep the fire raging," he said.

Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence since May 3. More than 150 people have been killed in clashes between the majority Meiteis and the tribal Kuki community. The rally, organised on the occasion of World Tribal Day, marks the beginning of the Congress campaign for the assembly polls in Rajasthan later this year.

Gandhi criticised the BJP for calling tribal people "Vanvasi" instead of Adivasi, saying that it's an insult to them. He said the BJP calls tribal people "Vanvasi, snatches their jungles and gives them to Adani". Whereas, the Congress wants the tribal population to get their rights and their dreams to be fulfilled, he said. (PTI)