Manipur Congress Leaders Discuss Rahul Gandhi's Visit To State

New Delhi: Manipur Congress leaders along with AICC state-in-charge Girish Chodankar on Sunday discussed Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's visit to the northeastern state.

Gandhi will visit Manipur on Monday and will interact with violence-affected people in Jiribam, Churachandpur and Imphal districts. He will be spending the entire day with the people of the state.

Manipur Congress president Keisham Meghachandra, Congress legislature party leader O Ibobi Singh, two Congress MPs of the state Angomcha Bimol Akoijam and Alfred Kanngam Arthur and Girish Chodankar attended the meeting on Sunday to discuss Gandhi's visit to Manipur, a party leader said.

"Gandhi has chosen to visit Manipur where peace is necessary... We are grateful that he chose to visit the state after being chosen as the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha," a Congress leader told PTI.

The state Congress president said Gandhi would travel from Delhi to Silchar on a flight, and from there would head to Jiribam district where fresh violence happened on June 6.

"Gandhi will visit some relief camps in the district. He will then return to the Silchar airport, and from there, take a flight to Imphal," Meghachandra said.

"After landing in Imphal, he will head to Churachandpur district where he will interact with people living in relief camps," he said.

From Churachandpur, Gandhi will get to Moirang in Bishnupur district by road and visit some relief camps. He will then return to Imphal where a meeting with Governor Anusuiya Uikey is being planned.

"He will then leave the state," Meghachandra said.

This will be Gandhi's first visit to Manipur after the Lok Sabha elections, in which the Congress won both the constituencies in the ethnic violence-hit state.

O Ibobi Singh said, "Gandhi visited the state twice since the outbreak of the violence on May 3 last year. He has visited relief camps to learn about the pains and sorrow of the people.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in Manipur in view of Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state, officials said.