Junagadh: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that Manipur has long faced unrest, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state now is “not a big deal.” Gandhi emphasized that “vote chori” (vote theft) remains the main issue confronting the country today.
Speaking to reporters outside Keshod airport in Junagadh, Gujarat, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha noted that people across the nation are raising slogans against “vote chor” (vote thief).
After arriving at the airport in the afternoon, Gandhi headed to Junagadh city, where he is scheduled to meet district and city unit presidents of the Congress in Gujarat and interact with senior party leaders.
When asked about PM Modi’s planned visit to Manipur on Saturday, Gandhi downplayed its significance, saying: “Manipur has been in trouble for a long time, and the PM has decided to go there now. That’s not a big deal. The main issue today in India is ‘vote chori’ (vote theft).”
Modi is set to visit Manipur on September 13, meeting internally displaced people in Churachandpur and the state capital, Imphal. This marks his first visit to the state since ethnic violence erupted there two years ago.
Gandhi added: “They stole the elections in Haryana and Maharashtra. We proved that in Karnataka recently. So the main issue is vote theft. Everywhere, people are raising slogans of ‘vote chor’ (vote thief).”
Meanwhile, a training camp for local Congress leaders is being held in Junagadh from September 10 to 19 as part of the party’s ‘Sangathan Srujan Abhiyan’—a campaign aimed at strengthening the organization in the BJP-ruled state. The camp was inaugurated on Wednesday by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
“Rahul Gandhi will address district and city unit presidents and interact with senior leaders of the party. He will be at the event for nearly three hours before returning to Delhi,” said Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi.
