New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday denounced prime minister Narendra Modi as the latter 'continued to ignore Manipur violence'.
Addressing the media at the AICC headquarters on Friday, Rahul said Modi wanted to burn Manipur and the prime minister was not trying to douse the fire.
According to Gandhi, the Indian Army can stop the violence in the northeastern state in two days.
“The PM at least could go to Manipur, talk to communities and say I am your PM; let's start talking but I don't see the intention. The question is not whether Modi will become PM again in 2024, the question is of Manipur where children, people are being killed,” said Rahul.
Gandhi's remarks came a day after the prime minister spoke in reply to the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha alongside a rather short reference to Manipur.
"Yesterday PM in Parliament spoke for over two hours and 13 minutes, and at last, for around 2 minutes, he spoke on Manipur. Manipur has been burning for months, people are being killed, rapes are happening but the PM was laughing, cracking jokes. It doesn't behove him," the Congress MP criticised.
Targeting the prime minister, the Lok Sabha MP from Kerala's Wayanad said: "Prime minister Modi was laughing while speaking in the Lok Sabha. It does not suit him. The prime minister of India should not have made the joke. I was not the subject nor the Congress but Manipur - what is happening in Manipur and why it is not being stopped was the subject."
Rahul Gandhi said that he has been in politics for last 19 years and visited all states whether during floods, tsunami or instances of violence.
"What I saw in Manipur is something I have not seen in the last 19 years," the Congress leader said.
Referring to his statement in Lok Sabha on no-confidence when he said Bharat Mata has been murdered in Manipur, Rahul Gandhi further added: "I said prime minister Modi killed India in Manipur; these are not hollow words."
He also said when he reached Manipur and had to visit the citizens, he was asked to remove Kuki or Meitei people individuals from his security detail.
He said, "Today a state has been murdered. The state has been divided. Thus I said BJP has murdered India in Manipur."
On Thursday, Modi in his over two hour-long speech gave assurance that peace will prevail in Manipur and that it will march forward on the path of development.
The BJP-ruled state government in Manipur has been trying to resolve the prevalent situation for the past six years and the efforts will continue in the future too, Modi said.
"The entire country and the House is with Manipur. We will together ensure peace there," Modi said.
However he said that all efforts to ensure peace in the state should be free of politics.
(With agency inputs)