GUWAHATI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took a helicopter to visit Churachandpur, after being stuck at Bishnupur for hours as his convoy was stopped by the police, sources said.
Gandhi, who arrived in Imphal at around 11 am, was travelling to Churachandpur, 64 km away, in a convoy of vehicles along with party leaders, including KC Venugopal. However, when the vehicles reached Bishnupur, 28 km away, the administration, led by the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police, prevented them from travelling further citing the prevailing law and order situation.
Later, when the police fired tear gas shells to disperse a crowd, Gandhi decided to visit the place by helicopter and so, returned to Imphal.
Manipur Congress president K Meghachandra alleged Chief Minister N Biren Singh had issued instructions to “totally block” the convoy.
“We spoke to the DM and the SP but to no avail. A lot of people were standing by the roadside to welcome Rahul Ji,” Meghachandra said, adding, “Rahul Ji came to Manipur to meet the inmates of relief camps and affected families in the hills as well as the Imphal valley.”
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Gandhi was going to Churachandpur to meet the people suffering in relief camps and provide a healing touch in the strife-torn state.
“PM Modi has not bothered to break his silence on Manipur. He has left the state to fend for itself. Now, his double engine disastrous governments are using autocratic methods to stall a compassionate outreach by Shri Rahul Gandhi,” Kharge said.
Stating that this is totally unacceptable and shatters all Constitutional and democratic norms, he said Manipur needs peace, not confrontation.
His party leader Jairam Ramesh lamented that the Modi government prevented Gandi from visiting relief camps and interacting with people outside Imphal.
“His 2-day visit to Manipur is in the spirit of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Prime Minister may choose to remain silent or be inactive but why stop Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to listen to all sections of the Manipuri society and provide a healing touch?” Ramesh asked through a tweet.
However, the BJP slammed Gandhi for his “arrogance”.
Party spokesperson Sambit Patra said as some organisations stood opposed to the visit and the government wanted to ensure Gandhi's safety, it requested the Congress leader and his office to make sure he goes to Churachandpur by helicopter but he did not listen to it.
“I saw on TV people shouting the slogan ‘Rahul Gandhi go back’. When there was a massive protest against Rahul Ji in Bishnupur, the convoy was stopped and it took a U-turn. If he had gone to Churachandpur by helicopter in the morning, the situation would not have turned tense again,” the BJP leader said.
Slamming Gandhi for his “highly irresponsible behaviour”, Patra said the Congress leader should have been more sensitive towards the issue of Manipur.
“From June 13, there was no major violence but a person lost his life this morning. The situation is coming under control. Let’s not fight for petty political gains,” Patra said.
Bishnupur SP Heisnam Balram Singh said Gandhi and the Congress MLAs were stopped to ensure their safety and security.
“Shots are being fired from the hills. This has been the scenario for the past one month. The possibility of a bomb blast on the highway also cannot be ruled out. There are miscreants on both sides and they may highlight their grievances by attacking VIPs. So, we stopped the convoy,” the police officer said.