Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, stated on Thursday that compassion is needed in Manipur rather than a political figure escalating current tensions. Sarma used the phrase ‘mere media hype’ in apparent reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s day-long visit to the region fraught with ethnic violence.
Speaking to reporters, Sarma stated that such daylong trips, like Rahul Gandhi’s, would not have a beneficial impact on how the state and central governments were managing the Manipur crisis. ‘He (Rahul Gandhi) is visiting Manipur just for a day. It is nothing but media hype. Had there been positive results from the visit, it would have been a different matter, but there would be no outcome from such a visit,’ Sarma said.
No one should try to take advantage of the ‘tragic situation’ Manipur is in, according to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. Taking to Twitter, the Assam Chief Minister said, ‘The situation in Manipur demands bridging differences through compassion. It’s not in the nation’s interest for a political leader to use his so-called visit to exacerbate fault lines.’
‘Both the communities of the state have clearly rejected such attempts,’ he added. Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the Churachandpur relief camps on Thursday was the subject of intense drama in Manipur after the former Congress president’s convoy was halted by police in the middle of the road. Then, in order to go where he was going, he had to take a helicopter.
Rahul Gandhi’s convoy being stopped set off a political fight because Congress claimed the BJP-led government was attempting to thwart his visit.
The BJP, on the other hand, charged him with being obstinate for opting to travel by car despite being advised to take a chopper as his visit was opposed by a number of parties.
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