Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Manipur on November 26 to meet people displaced by ethnic violence and families who lost relatives in the conflict, sources told India Today.
During the single-day trip, Gandhi is expected to first visit Imphal before travelling to Churachandpur to meet those affected by the violence.
He is also expected to meet local Congress leaders to review the situation ahead of Assembly elections, expected early next year.
THOUSANDS REMAIN DISPLACED
The proposed visit comes as thousands of families continue to live in relief camps more than three years after ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.
The clashes began on May 3, 2023, following a Tribal Solidarity March opposing the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
At least 306 people have been killed and 49 remain missing, according to figures recorded up to August 31, 2026, and shared in the state Assembly in September.
Government data released in April showed that more than 58,000 people had been displaced, nearly 7,900 houses destroyed and over 2,600 partially damaged.
VISIT AMID ROW OVER CONGRESS MP
Gandhi first visited the state in June 2023, meeting displaced families and civil society representatives. Police briefly stopped his road convoy during that trip.
In July 2024, he returned to relief camps in Jiribam, Churachandpur and Moirang on his first visit as Leader of the Opposition.
The visit also comes amid a political row involving Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.
BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, have demanded Akoijam’s resignation over sexual harassment allegations, though the Delhi High Court stayed his dismissal from JNU on November 2.
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