Rahul Gandhi to meet ethnic strife victims during 2-day visit to Manipur

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will meet people displaced by the ethnic strife in relief camps and hold talks with civil society organisations during his two-day visit to the state from Thursday, party officials said.

This is the first visit of the Congress leader to the northeastern state since violence broke out on May 3.

"After reaching Imphal, Gandhi is scheduled to head to Churachandpur district where he will visit relief camps.

He will then go to Moirang in Bishnupur district and interact with displaced persons," a senior Congress leader said on Wednesday.

"On Friday, Gandhi will visit relief camps in Imphal and will later hold talks with certain civil society organisations," he said.

Around 50,000 people are now staying in over 300 relief camps across the state since ethnic strife started in May this year.

More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state so far.

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.