Rahul Gandhi begins 2-day visit to strife-torn Manipur
Convoy stopped by police at Bishnupur
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Imphal (PTI): After arriving at Imphal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi left for Manipur's Churachandpur, where he will meet people displaced by the ethnic strife at relief camps on Thursday.
State Congress officials told PTI that Gandhi will also interact with civil society representatives, intellectuals and others in the course of his two-day visit.
"The aim of the trip is to bring a healing touch to those who have been affected by the ethnic strife in Manipur," a senior Congress office bearer in the state said.
Around 50,000 people are now staying in over 300 relief camps across the state since ethnic strife started in May this year.
On Friday, Gandhi is scheduled to visit relief camps in Imphal and hold talks with certain civil society organisations, Congress sources said.
Dr. Ajoy Kumar, Congress in charge of Manipur, had told PTI Video before the visit started, "The government should listen to the people... The Biren Singh government should be removed."
Rahul Gandhi's convoy was, however, stopped by the Manipur police at Bishnupur, about 20 kilometres from Imphal, officials said.
Police officials said the convoy was stopped fearing violence along the route.
Congress office bearers are speaking with the police and army authorities to ensure safe passage for their party leader.
More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state so far.
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PM Modi tours iconic Dutch dam; eyes cooperation in water management
The Hague (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten, toured the iconic Afsluitdijk Dam on Sunday, as India and the Netherlands explored deeper collaboration in water management and climate-resilient infrastructure.
“An area in which the Netherlands has done groundbreaking work is water management. The entire international community can learn a great deal from this,” Modi said in a social media post after the visit.
The PM further said: “We are committed to bringing modern technology to India, which is intended to help with irrigation, flood protection, and the expansion of the inland waterway network.”
Calling the Afsluitdijk Dam a “symbol of excellence and innovation”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) highlighted its role in water management, flood protection and freshwater storage.
“The visit highlighted the relevance of Dutch expertise for India’s Kalpasar Project in Gujarat, which aims to create a freshwater reservoir and dam near the Gulf of Khambhat,” the MEA said in a social media post.
“The visit underscored opportunities for deeper Indo-Dutch collaboration in climate resilience, water technology and sustainable infrastructure,” it added.
Modi landed in The Hague on Friday on a two-day visit as part of a four-nation trip to Europe - which also includes Sweden, Norway and Italy - aimed at ramping up bilateral ties on a range of key areas.
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) posts, "An area in which the Netherlands has done groundbreaking work is water management. The entire international community can learn a great deal from this. This morning, I had the opportunity to visit the Afsluitdijk… pic.twitter.com/HjeJbku1OT
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 17, 2026
