GUWAHATI
Israel’s war with Hamas matters more to Prime Minister Narendra Modi than the ethnic conflict in adjoining Manipur, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in poll-bound Mizoram on October 16.
Elections to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly are scheduled on November 7.
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Slamming the Prime Minister for not visiting Manipur after the ethnic clashes between the non-tribal Meitei and the tribal Kuki people broke out on May 3, Mr. Gandhi said the BJP-led Centre appeared to be more interested in Israel than in Manipur.
“Some months ago, I went to Manipur and I could not believe what I saw… People have been murdered, women molested, and babies killed but the PM does not find it important to travel there. It amazes me that the PM and his government are interested in what is happening in Israel but not Manipur,” he told a gathering in Mizoram’s capital Aizawl, after taking part in a padayatra as part of the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra programme.
“I simply cannot understand why the PM has not visited Manipur. It is something to be ashamed of that the leader of our Union has not travelled to Manipur after what happened there,” Mr. Gandhi said.
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More than 12,000 Kuki people from Manipur have taken shelter in Mizoram since fleeing ethnic violence. The Kuki, Zomi, Hmar, Chin (Myanmar) and Kuki-Chin (Bangladesh) communities are ethnically related to the dominant Mizos of Mizoram.
Belonging to the Zo community, these communities share the same ancestry, culture, and tradition.
Mr. Gandhi’s attack on Mr. Modi for his “handling” of the Manipur crisis assumes significance ahead of the Mizoram polls as the violence in Manipur is an emotional issue for the Zo people.
Alleging that the BJP has been oppressing the people of India, he said the violence in Manipur was just a “symptom” of the problem “seen in a smaller form” in many parts of the country where minority communities, tribals, and Dalits are feeling uncomfortable, the Congress leader said.
“So, what happened in Manipur is not just an attack on the people, it is also an attack on the idea of India in Manipur. It is the duty of every single Indian to protect every single religion, culture, language, and tradition of this country. That is what the Bharat Jodo Yatra is about,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi also slammed the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) for its alliance with the BJP, stating that while the saffron party “attacks your culture, religion and tradition, the MNF supports them in Delhi”.
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He criticised the government of Chief Minister Zoramthanga on issues such as drugs, unemployment, and underdevelopment.
“I would like you to consider what the government has done over the last five years. Drugs are spreading rampantly among the future generation,” he said, attributing Mizoram’s drug problem to joblessness.
“Over the last five years, the MNF government created only 2,000 jobs. Your infrastructure and roads are in a shambles and they are destroying the economic future of the State,” Mr. Gandhi said.
