Rahul Gandhi stopped in Bishnupur, 20 kms away from Imphal by police. Hired chopper to go to Churachandpur, Manipur.

The former Congress president Rahul Gandhi along with national general secretary K. C. Venugopal were stopped going further at Bishnupur in strife torn Manipur today where he had gone to meet the affected people due to the massive riots that took place there more than a month ago.

Rahul Gandhi later on took a chopper to visit Churachandpur from here as said by the security forces.

Rahul Gandhi and his entourage was halted at Bishnupur, about twenty kilometres from Manipur’s capital – Imphal. The reason given by the police to obstruct the Congress leader was due to the apprehensions of possible attack and was asked to take the chopper service which he rightly adhered to. There were people on both sides in large numbers to greet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Meanwhile there are number of protests by various Congress leaders and of other parties through tweets registering their annoyance and anger.

The Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge came out strongly against the ruling party government after Rahul Gandhi was halted at Bishnupur tweeting :

Rahul Gandhi’s convoy in Manipur has been stopped by the police near Bishnupur. He is going there to meet people suffering in relief camps and to provide a healing touch in the strife torn state.

PM Modi is not bothered to break his silence on Manipur. He has left the state. Now, his double engine disastrous governments are using autocratic methods to stall a compassionate outreach by Shri Rahul Gandhi adding that this is totally unacceptable and shatters all the constitutional norms tweeted Kharge.

The Congress general secretary K. C. Venugopal who strongly objected to Rahul Gandhi being stopped by police said that there were crowds on both sides waving and cheering Mr. Gandhi and the police says that there are risks of a track. How is it possible he argued in his tweet. Venugopal said : Manipur today needs a healing touch, not further acrimony. It is our constitutional right to travel across Manipur to interact with the people who had suffered so much and build bridges between the communities. He added Rahulji is in Manipur to deliver a message of harmony and peace as people are badly suffering. He said halting Rahulji in Bishnupur were on the orders of the CM and such moves are unfortunate having no place in democracy.

Congress general secretary and Rahul’s sister Priyanka Gandhi asked why does the government want to stop Rahul Gandhi ? To establish peace and tranquility in the country is the duty of every peace loving citizen wrote Priyanka . Shri Rahul Gandhi had gone there to spread the message of peace, harmony and to apply balm on their wounds. Even the BJP government should also do so tweeted Priyanka Gandhi in Hindi.

The former CM of Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh said that we are not coming here to politicise the issue but to meet and interact with the real sufferers.

The Congress leader Jairam Ramesh termed as the visit of Rahul Gandhi to Manipur as a sequel and in spirit of the “Bharat Jodo Yatra”, further saying through tweet that it’s really unfortunate that Modi government is stopping Rahul Gandhi to visit the relief camps and part with their grief and grievances of the sufferers by stopping him outside Imphal. The prime minister may remain silent and be inactive but Rahul Gandhi is being stopped from meeting and sharing the grief and pain of Manipur people tweeted Jairam Ramesh.

Tamilnadu minister Uday Nidhi Stalin has strongly condemned the Manipur police’s move to stop Rahul to proceed further in Bishnupur though he left the area after hiring a chopper.

The TN minister tweeted : I strongly condemn the Manipur police for stopping brother Rahul Gandhi on his way to violence torn Manipur. While the prime minister remains mute on this critical issue, Rahul Gandhi is attempting to lend ears to the people of Manipur. Restoring peace there should be the top priority now. Such vengeful political acts of autocrats against opposition leaders are absurd and condemnable tweeted Udanidhi Stalin, minister in Tamil Nadu government.

It may be recalled that the Union home minister had visited the Manipur affected areas and relief camps meeting the riot affected persons and families a month after the riots and assured of all possible help including the prime minister Narendra Modi meeting senior police and bureaucrats of Manipur and centre taking stock of the situation and directing them to resolve the issue and provide relief to the sufferers.

Nearly 115 people had died in these riots between the Meitie and Kuki communities and thousands rendered homeless with colossal loss of hundreds of crores including mass scale arson, lootings of arms n ammunition from police stations and armories and burning of villages etc.