Rahul Gandhi Fights "Fire" With "Fire" After Smriti Irani's Manipur Charge

A day after Union Minister Smriti Irani's scathing accusation that he set "Manipur on fire," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has fired back, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handling of the three-month-long ethnic clashes in the state and pinning the strife on the ruling party's ideology.

In a video shared on social media by the Congress, Mr Gandhi retorted, "Why is he not speaking anything about Manipur? This is because Narendra Modi ji has nothing to do with Manipur. They know that their ideology has burnt Manipur."

The heated exchange follows Ms Irani's allegations in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, where she accused opposition parties, including Mr Gandhi, of remaining silent on crimes against women in non-BJP-ruled states. Ms Irani didn't pull any punches, charging Mr 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.

Mr Gandhi, however, redirected the blame, accusing the BJP and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of being "power-hungry" and divisive.

He made these remarks during a virtual Youth Congress program, stating, "The BJP-RSS only want power and can do anything to get power. For power, they will burn Manipur, they will burn the entire country. They don't care about the sorrow and pain of the country."

The Congress party shared excerpts of Gandhi's fiery speech on its Twitter handle. This comes amid increasing demands by the opposition, led by Congress, for a statement from the Prime Minister on the situation in Manipur, followed by a comprehensive discussion on the issue.

This verbal sparring in the Rajya Sabha is the latest in a series of heated exchanges since the monsoon session began last Thursday. Amidst the tumult, both ruling and opposition members have submitted numerous adjournment notices supporting their respective demands.