BJP comes down heavily on 'stubborn' Rahul Gandhi for visiting Manipur
_vb_54.jpeg)
New Delhi: The BJP termed as "irresponsible behaviour" of Rahul Gandhi after he visited Manipur on Thursday, and said a person is reported to have lost his life in the strife-torn state due to the Congress leader's "stubbornness". Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, BJP national spokesperson and Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra said the local administration had asked Gandhi to visit Churanchandpur in a chopper in view of the prevailing tension in the state, but he refused and went on to visit the area by road.
Several civil society organisations, including the All Manipur Students Union, were protesting for the last two to three days since the news about the Congress leader's visit appeared in media, he said. "It is very sad that with that stubbornness, Rahul Gandhi went to Manipur, it was not right. Sensitivity is far more important than stubbornness when there is such a situation," Patra said, slamming the Congress leader. "Rahul Gandhi's behaviour was highly irresponsible. Rahul and responsibility never go together. He has again proved it today," the BJP leader charged.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi in Manipur: Visits relief camp after reaching Churachandpur
Patra said there was no incident or reports of loss of life in Manipur since June 13.
"But very sadly...there is news about loss of a life today," he said.
The former Congress chief should have been "more responsible and sensitive" towards the issue of Manipur and should have paid heed to the local administration's advice.
"I want to request with folded hands… the situation is coming under control in Manipur. Let us not fight for petty political gains...," Patra added.
Gandhi's convoy remained stuck at Bishnupur for hours after his convoy was stopped by the Manipur police, amid allegations by the Congress that the BJP-led government was trying to thwart its leader's visit to the ethnic strife-torn state.
BJP’s Manipur incharge Patra alleged that the prevailing situation in Manipur is the result of "many legacy issues" in which the Congress had “a big hand”.
"Rahul Gandhi and the Congress... there are many legacy issues in Manipur. The situation that we are witnessing in Manipur today is because of some legacy issues in which the Congress party has a big hand," he charged.
"I do not want to revisit those issues because of the sensitivity attached to them," he said, adding, "We will have to understand that every word we say affects the situation in Manipur". Patra further claimed that the All Manipur Students Union had called for boycotting Gandhi’s visit and enumerating “the legacy issues” at a press conference ahead of the Congress leader's visit to the state.
Several civil society organisations had also appealed to Gandhi to not visit the northeastern state and thus refrain from “inciting” people there, he said.
Keeping all these in mind, Patra claimed, the government had requested the Congress leader to take a chopper to visit Churanchandpur after he landed at Imphal airport.
“He (Rahul) was specifically told that nobody will stop him from visiting Churanchandpur... he was requested to take a helicopter because some people were protesting against him,” he told reporters.
“But Gandhi does not listen to anyone... Without consulting anybody, he left for Churanchandpur in his stubbornness by road and what was anticipated happened,” the BJP leader added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Chinese astronauts return to earth safely after six-month stint in space station
Beijing, Nov 4: Three Chinese astronauts who spent six months developing China’s low orbit space station returned to Earth safely early Monday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
The capsule of the spaceship Shenzhou-18' carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 1:24 am (Beijing Time).
The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 192 days, were all in good health and the Shenzhou-18 manned mission was a success, the CMSA said.
Ye, the Shenzhou-18 mission commander, has become the first Chinese astronaut with an accumulative spaceflight time of more than a year, setting a new record for the longest duration of stay in orbit by a Chinese astronaut.
He served as a crew member in the Shenzhou-13 mission from October 2021 to April 2022.
"Chinese astronauts have flown to space in successive missions. I believe that the record of the duration in orbit will be broken in the near future," Ye said.
Another astronaut Li Guangsu said that they grew two types of plants -- cherry tomatoes and lettuce -- and they had harvested some lettuce leaves for food.
"Being able to eat fresh vegetables in space is truly a blessing. These green plants have also brought a touch of green and good cheer to our busy work," Li was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency.
China launched the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship in April this year.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew utilised the scientific experiment cabinets and extravehicular payloads to carry out dozens of experiments in the fields of basic physics in microgravity, space material science, space life science, space medicine and space technology, Xinhua report said.
The three were relieved by another set of three Chinese astronauts, including a woman who docked with the orbiting space station on October 30.
China changes crew for the station every six months.
China built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) over concerns that China's space programme is manned by its military, the People's Liberation Army, (PLA).
The two robotic arms of the station, especially the long one which has the ability to grab objects including satellites from space, drew international concerns.
Early this month China announced its plans for the further development of space programmes which included launching a manned lunar mission, construction of a lunar space station, exploration of habitable planets and extra-terrestrial life to expand its space programme in the next few decades.
