Thoubal (Manipur) : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party of not empathising with the people of Manipur as they do not consider the state to be a part of India. Manipur is a symbol of the BJP's politics and BJP-RSS's hatred and ideology, he said.
Kicking off the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' from Imphal, Gandhi said, "For PM Modi, BJP and RSS, Manipur is not a part of India. Your (people of Manipur) sorrow and pain has never been their sorrow and pain." The 6,700-km Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is being undertaken from Manipur to Mumbai. The inauguration of this Yatra of Congress comes ahead of the January 22 consecration ceremony at the Ayodhya Ram temple.
Rahul Gandhi further said that their party will present a new vision for India that will promote justice, harmony and brotherhood devoid of hatred and violence. He said he had undertaken the Nyay Yatra to listen to people's 'Mann Ki Baat' in a sarcastic reference to PM Modi's monthly radio address to the people.
Earlier in the day and prior to the flagging off of the Congress Yatra, Milind Deora gave a jolt to the grand old party by cutting off his family's five-decades of relationship with it. Milind later in the day jointed the CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, which the Congress described as a conspiracy by PM Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Explaining why he took up Bharat Nyay Yatra, Rahul Gandhi said the people were going through a period of great injustice in the country's socio-economic and political spheres. On the one side, the people of and the traditions of Manipur were under attack while, on the other side, economic monopolies were being given to a select few, he said.
The Congress leader said that PM Modi has not visited violence-hit Manipur even though people suffered huge losses. "People lost their lives and saw their near ones dying before their eyes. But PM Modi could not come here to wipe your tears, embrace or hold your hands. This is utterly shameful," he said.
Gandhi expressed concern that what was known as Manipur changed after June 29. The state got divided, hatred spread and lakhs of people suffered huge losses, he said. "I am in politics since 2004. This is the first time that I visited a place in India where the infrastructure of governance has completely collapsed," he added.
Assuring people to return whatever the people of Manipur lost, the Congress leader said that they would restore harmony, peace and affection in the state. "You have lost whatever you had valued. Believe us, we will find out what you have lost and valued and bring it back to you. We all understand the pain, hurt and suffering people of Manipur went through. We promise to bring back the peace, affection and harmony that existed here," he said.
Rahul Gandhi said that Manipur is a symbol of BJP's politics. "It is the symbol of the hatred, ideology and viewpoint of the BJP and the RSS," he said. Manipur lost everything because hatred of the BJP and the RSS spread, he alleged.
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