By Abhishek Kumar

Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Moscow to attend the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit, Lok Sabha Opposition leader and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi visited the violence-affected state of Manipur on July 8. The concurrence of the two visits resulted in an exchange of barbs between the ruling party and the Opposition on diverse platforms.

While the Opposition accused Narendra Modi of neglecting Manipur and criticised him for not visiting the violence-hit state, the ruling dispensation accused Rahul Gandhi of using the victims of Manipur for gaining political mileage. It is important to note that the Congress leader has recently assumed the role of Leader of the Opposition in the House for the first time, and has been vocal on several issues, including Manipur.

Accompanied by his colleagues and supporters, Rahul Gandhi spoke with the victims of the Manipur violence and their families. A tweet shared by the Congress leader contained a video from the relief camp, in which he stated that this was his third visit to Manipur since the violence had broken out. He urged the Prime Minister to visit the state, listen to the locals, and make an appeal for peace. Gandhi assured the victims that he would advocate for them in parliament and pressure the government to intervene in the crisis.

https://x.com/RahulGandhi/status/1811309180306829714?t=3Ad-9rIHK2ySQMCGphxDTw&s=19

Recently, Gandhi also visited Uttar Pradesh, where he met victims of a stampede and the mother of the late Indian Army Captain Anshuman Singh. In this case, too, his efforts to show solidarity with the victims and their families have been perceived by the ruling party as a political stunt.

Aaj Tak and other major Hindi news channels ran several tickers in live debates on Rahul Gandhi’s Manipur visit accusing him of playing politics and taking advantage of the tragedy.

Aaj Tak

As seen on the news channel Aaj Tak, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia questioned Congress, saying that Rahul Gandhi took up these visits for photo opportunities, but ran away when there was a discussion in Parliament.

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