Rahul Gandhi might have hit a raw nerve by describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to stay away from the strife-torn Manipur as shameful, apart from arguing that the RSS-BJP philosophy didn’t have space for cultural and religious diversity.

Campaigning in Mizoram, which borders Manipur that has been bleeding for six months, the former Congress president said: “I could not believe what I saw in Manipur. The idea of Manipur has been destroyed by the BJP. It is no longer a state; it is now two states. People have been murdered, women have been molested, babies have been killed, but the Prime Minister doesn’t find it important to travel there.”

Rahul, who visited relief camps in Manipur during the peak of the crisis, said: “It’s amazing to me that the Prime Minister and the government of India are so interested in what is happening in Israel, but not interested at all in what is happening in Manipur. If you look at our national media, you will find story-after-story-after-story, talk show-after-talk show about what is going on in the Middle East. But nobody in the national media speaks about what is going on in Manipur; nobody is talking about the pain, the misery that has been caused there.”

He added: “I simply cannot understand why the Prime Minister has not visited. It is something to be ashamed of that the leader of our Union has not travelled to the state of Manipur after what has happened there. And Manipur is just a symptom of the problem.”

In this election season, which will set the stage for the final battle of 2024, the Congress has been methodically trying to explain to the people how Modi’s conduct hasn’t been prime ministerial. While Modi’s handling of Manipur has been portrayed as insensitive and irresponsible, his tendency to make alluring promises at election time without caring for delivery has been analysed as his personality trait.

Addressing a public rally in Rajasthan, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also devoted much of his time to explaining to the people how Modi resorted to falsehood and divisive ploys to win elections. He said: “The Prime Minister doesn’t honour his own words. He is constantly in campaign mode, running from state to state to win elections. But he doesn’t deliver on his promises. The people have to distinguish between hollow rhetoric and real words. You have to choose — kaam karne wali Sarkar ya jhooth bolne wali Sarkar.”

Recalling how the Prime Minister facilitates crony capitalists to loot the country, uses religious symbols to mobilise support and encourages communal politics, Kharge said: “He doesn’t respect even people’s mandate. He pulls down our governments by using money power and coercive politics.”

That Rahul and Kharge are working in tandem to dismantle Modi’s carefully crafted image before the next general election is absolutely clear.

Rahul too argued that the ethnic conflict in Manipur cannot be seen in isolation. “You can see the same problem in a smaller form in many different parts of the nation. People from minority communities are feeling uncomfortable; tribals and Dalits are feeling uncomfortable. There is an oppression being carried out on the people of India and I view it as an attack on the idea of India. So, what is happening in Manipur is of course an attack on the people of Manipur, but it is also an attack on the idea of India.”

He walked for two kilometres in the streets of Aizawl with thousands of people jostling to meet him, rekindling the memories of Bharat Jodo Yatra, before making his speech. He said: “It was the duty of every single Indian to protect every single religion, every single culture, every single language, every single tradition of this country, and that is what the Bharat Jodo Yatra was about.”

Amid loud cheering by an enthusiastic audience, he said: “Vote for the Congress that treats everybody with respect, that provides not empty words, but a vision for the state of Mizoram. And if there is one thing I want to leave you with, it is that we will defend your culture, your religion and your tradition. For us, it is more important than anything else. Because if Mizo culture is attacked and destroyed, if Mizo tradition is attacked and destroyed, if your language is attacked and destroyed, if your religion is attacked and destroyed, then India is attacked and destroyed.”

Insisting he came to the tiny state with respect and humility, Rahul said: “We love your diversity, we love your perspective, we love your way of looking at the world and at life. It is our most valuable asset. It is much more important than these buildings and all these other things because it is the heart of India and the heart of Mizoram. And I come here to learn from you and understand from you because I know that your tradition, your history is thousands and thousands of years of wisdom.”

Recalling the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said: “Today we walked 2km, but the message I wanted to give was the same. The idea of a united India; India that respects each other and itself, that is tolerant, that learns from other ideas, other religions and other languages, and that loves itself as a whole. And that is the idea that is under attack by the BJP.”

Rahul alleged: “They (RSS-BJP) attack different communities, different religions and languages; they spread hatred, violence in the country; they spread arrogance, lack of understanding. And this is completely against the idea of India because the idea of India that we are used to, the idea of India that we believe in is one that respects everybody, is affectionate to everybody, protects everybody.”

Referring to the growing drug menace in Mizoram, he explained how the Congress had created a robust social security system through its welfare schemes in states like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka while the Prime Minister was only working to enrich Adani. He said Modi’s economic vision was restricted to benefit only one business house and that was a ridiculous idea that destroyed small businesses and employment opportunities in the country.