Rahul Gandhi to Meet Flood Victims in Assam Today, Tight Security in Manipur Ahead of LoP’s Visit – News18

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be travelling to Assam to meet flood victims on Monday, and will then head to Manipur for the rest of the day ending his visit with a press conference at the Congress office in the violence-hit state.

His visit to the two northeastern states will begin at 10 am, where he will first meet flood victims at relief camps in Assam’s Cachar district. He will reach a relief camp in Manipur’s Jiribam at 10.45 am, followed by a visit to similar camps in Churachandpur and Moirang. At 5.30 pm, he is scheduled to meet the Manipur governor at the Raj Bhavan and will end the visit with a press briefing at the state Congress office.

Gandhi will arrive at the Kumbhigram airport at Silchar in the Cachar district on the way to Manipur. “From the airport, he will be going to a flood relief camp in Lakhipur and interact with the people who have taken shelter there,” a state Congress spokesperson said, adding that the camp is on the route that he will take to the Jiribam district in Manipur.

About 22.70 lakh people in 28 districts of Assam were affected by the floods. A total of 78 people have been killed this year, landslides and storms in the state.

Gandhi will return to Silchar airport from Jiribam, and fly to Imphal for the next leg of his Manipur tour.

This will be the Congress leader’s first visit to the Northeast after becoming the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Security has been tightened in Manipur’s Jiribam district ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s scheduled visit on Monday, with authorities imposing a ban on aerial photography using drones, officials said.

A notification by the Jiribam district magistrate on Sunday said as part of enhanced security measures, aerial photography or videography through drones, balloons, or any other means is strictly prohibited.

The notification emphasised that violations of this order would result in legal action under Section 223 of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and other relevant provisions of the law.

In preparation for Gandhi’s day-long visit to the violence-hit state, a team of state Congress leaders, including working president Victor Keishing and AICC Manipur in-charge Girish Chodankar, inspected relief camps where the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha is likely to visit.

Manipur Congress president Keisham Meghachandra and other party functionaries have already left Imphal for Jiribam district to welcome their leader.

Earlier in the day, the state Congress leaders held discussions regarding Gandhi’s visit to the violence-hit state. Meghachandra, Congress Legislature Party leader O Ibobi Singh, and two Congress MPs from the state, Angomcha Bimol Akoijam and Alfred Kanngam Arthur, attended the meeting.

“Gandhi has chosen to visit Manipur at a time when peace is essential. We appreciate his decision to visit the state after assuming the role of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha,” a Congress leader told PTI.

According to Meghachandra, Gandhi’s itinerary involves flying from Delhi to Silchar, then proceeding to Jiribam district where fresh violence was reported on June 6. Gandhi plans to visit several relief camps in the district before returning to Silchar airport and flying to Imphal.

O Ibobi Singh said, “Gandhi has visited the state twice since the outbreak of violence last year.”

(With PTI inputs)