Smriti Irani's ‘set Manipur on fire’ remark draws flak, Rahul Gandhi says ‘you will be surprised...’

livemint.com:

Alliance (NDA) dispensation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Manipur issue. A day after Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani accused the Congress leader of setting "Manipur on fire,", Rahul Gandhi issued the video message claiming that PM Modi has got nothing to do with the violence-hit state because he is the Prime Minister of only a few selected people.

On Wednesday union minister for Women and Child development Smriti Irani had in Rajya Sabha made a scathing accusation. Irani's alleged that opposition parties, including Gandhi had remained silent on crimes against women in non-BJP-ruled states.

Irani didn't pull any punches, charging Gandhi with igniting Manipur's unrest. "When will you have the courage to tell us how women are raped in Congress-ruled states? When will you have the guts to tell how Rahul Gandhi put Manipur on fire? Do not cast aspersions on women ministers in this cabinet," she challenged amid loud cheers from her party's MPs.

In a video message shared by Indian National Congress on Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said, "What is Prime Minister Narendra Modi doing for Manipur? Why is he not saying anything about Manipur? It is because Narendra Modi has nothing to do with Manipur. He knows that his own ideology has burned Manipur." Hitting out at PM Modi for not visiting the north eastern state, Rahul Gandhi said, “Have you seen what happened in Manipur? And what is happening? You will be surprised that the Prime Minister has not said a word about Manipur.

You would have thought that when a state of the country is burning, the Prime Minister of the country would say something. Many of you would have thought that the Prime Minister of the country would go to Imphal to at least talk to the people."