Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday visited the flood-affected people in Assam's Cachar district before heading to the violence-hit Manipur later in the day.
Upon arriving in Silchar, he was welcomed by Congress leaders from Assam and Manipur at the airport.
Gandhi then proceeded to Fulertal, where he interacted with those living in relief camps due to the floods. This marks his first visit to the Northeast since becoming the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. The relief camp is situated along the route Gandhi took to Manipur's Jiribam district.
Assam is currently battling severe floods caused by torrential rainfall, leading to landslides and overflowing rivers. Approximately 2.27 million people across 28 districts have been affected by the deluge.
After visiting Jiribam, Gandhi will return to Silchar airport in Assam before flying to Imphal for the next phase of his Manipur tour. Since May 3 of the previous year, Manipur has witnessed ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities, resulting in over 200 deaths.
Gandhi's visits to Assam and Manipur sparked a war of words between the Congress and BJP. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his upcoming visit to Russia, highlighting that Modi has not visited Manipur since the ethnic violence began.
"Today, the non-biological PM goes to Moscow while the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha heads for Assam and Manipur. Of course, the drumbeaters of the non-biological PM have claimed that he stopped the Russia-Ukraine war for some time. Presumably, this Moscow trip will lead to even more bizarre claims," Ramesh tweeted.
He further remarked, "This is Rahul Gandhi's third visit to Manipur ever since the state blew up fourteen months ago. The non-biological PM has not found the time nor even had the inclination to visit Manipur even for a few hours after the grave crisis erupted on May 3rd, 2023. He has not even met the Chief Minister of the state - who happens to be from his own party - and other political leaders of the state, including MLAs and MPs."
In response, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya accused Gandhi of "sick tragedy tourism," asserting that the ethnic conflict in Manipur is a legacy of the Congress party.
"The ethnic conflict in Manipur is a legacy of the Congress party. The state has witnessed the killing of civilians, police and Army personnel for decades, while Congress was in power," he tweeted.
"Forget Third Time Fail Rahul Gandhi, did any Congress leader, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was a member of Rajya Sabha from Assam, visit the strife-torn region? 'Balak Buddhi' (a grown man with a child's mind) is simply indulging in sick tragedy tourism."
Meanwhile, Assam has reported a total of 78 deaths due to this year's floods, landslides, and storms. The flood-affected districts include Kamrup, Nagaon, Cachar, Dhubri, Goalpara, Morigaon, Hailakandi, Bongaigaon, South Salmara, Dibrugarh, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Hojai, Nalbari, Charaideo, Biswanath, Golaghat, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Barpeta, Sonitpur, Kokrajhar, Majuli, Kamrup (Metropolitan), Darrang, Sivasagar, Chirang, and Tinsukia.
Nine rivers, including the Brahmaputra and Barak, are flowing above the danger mark at many locations. The Brahmaputra's water level remains high in Neamatighat, Tezpur, and Dhubri, although it is receding in Guwahati.
Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited flood relief camps in Kamrup district to assess the impact and oversee the distribution of relief to the affected people.