More than 120 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence that erupted between the majority Meity community and the minority Kuki tribes on the first week of May.

NEW DELHI: As Manipur continues to remain on edge, the Congress on Tuesday said that senior party leader Rahul Gandhi will visit the violence-hit state on June 29 and 30. This is the first visit of the Congress leader to the northeastern state embroiled in ethnic violence since May 3.

Announcing the decision, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal tweeted, “Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Manipur on 29-30 June. He will visit relief camps and interact with civil society representatives in Imphal and Churachandpur during his visit.”

Venugopal further said that Manipur has been burning for nearly two months, and desperately needs a healing touch so that the society can move from conflict to peace. “This is a humanitarian tragedy and it is our responsibility to be a force of love, not hate,” he said. 

Sh. @RahulGandhi ji will be visiting Manipur on 29-30 June. He will visit relief camps and interact with civil society representatives in Imphal and Churachandpur during his visit. Manipur has been burning for nearly two months, and desperately needs a healing touch so that the…

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) June 27, 2023

More than 120 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence that erupted between the majority Meity community and the minority Kuki tribes on the first week of May.

Congress and several other opposition parties have been demanding the immediate removal of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. On Monday, Prime Minister Modi chaired a high-level meeting with his Cabinet colleagues to review the situation in the Northeastern state. Last week, Home Minister Amit Shah also convened an all-party meeting to discuss the ongoing conflict in the state. 

Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.