Aizawl : Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was more interested in Israel-Hamas conflict than Manipur, which has been hit by ethnic clashes since May this year.
Gandhi arrived at Mizoram’s capital Aizawl on Monday on a two-day visit to campaign for his Congress candidates for the Mizoram assembly elections, the polling of which will be held on November 7.
Soon after his arrival, the Congress leader launched his poll campaign with a march from Chanmari junction to Raj Bhavan, and addressed his election rally, near the Governor’s house.
“It is amazing to me that the Prime Minister and the Government of India are so interested in what is happening in Israel, but not interested at all in what is happening in Manipur,” Gandhi, who had visited the trouble-torn Manipur in July told the gathering.
“It (Manipur) is no longer a state and it is now two states. People have been murdered, women have been molested, babies killed, but the prime minister doesn’t find it important to travel there. I simply cannot understand why the Prime Minister have not visited Manipur . It is something to be ashamed of that the leader of our Union (Prime Minister) has not travel to Manipur after what is happening there (Manipur),” Gandhi further said.
Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of destroying the idea of Manipur, the Congress leader said, the violence in Manipur is just “a symptom of the problem”.
“You can see similar problems in a smaller form in many different parts of the nation. People from minority communities are feeling uncomfortable, tribal, people are feeling uncomfortable, Dalit people are feeling uncomfortable.”
“There is an oppression being carried out on the people of India and it is an attack on the idea of India. What is happening on Manipur is an attack on the people of Manipur but it is also an attack on the idea of India on people of Manipur,” Gandhi said.
“They (BJP) attack different communities, religions and languages. They spread hatred and violence in the country. They spread arrogance, lack of understanding and this is completely against the idea of India,” he added.
Christians constitute 87.16 per cent of Mizoram population, followed by 2.75 per cent Hindus and 1.35 per cent Muslims.
Attacking the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) over its alliance with the BJP, the Congress leader said, “It is a shame that the people running your government [MNF] are in cahoots with the government (BJP-led NDA) in Delhi.”
The MNF is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre. The BJP is not part of the MNF government in Mizoram.
“The Congress always has had a good record of governance and development. We will protect your culture, tradition, and religion,” Gandhi said, urging the electorates in Mizoram to vote for his party.
He further hit out at the Zoramthanga government for its failure to provide employment and tackle the drugs menace over the past five years.
“Unemployment among the youth is the major reason for the drug menace in Mizoram. Drugs are spreading rampantly among the future generation; 250 young lives have been extinguished because of this,” he said, even as he claimed that MNF government has provided just 2000 jobs in five years while roads and infrastructure in Mizoram are in shambles.
In August, the Congress has formed the Mizoram Secular Alliance (MSA)in the state with two local parties – the People’s Conference (PC) and the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) – to fight against the BJP and the MNF.
Meanwhile, Congress has also released a list of 39 candidates for the Mizoram Assembly polls with the party’s state unit chief Lalsawta fielded from Aizawl West-III.
