Rahul Gandhi ji, you are yearning for power like a fish out of water: Anurag Thakur

New Delhi: Union minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Friday alleged that the Congress left no stone unturned to disturb peace in Manipur for political mileage as Rahul Gandhi is feeling "like a fish out of water" and yearning for power.

He alleged that it was the Nehru-Gandhi family which sowed the seeds of hatred in Manipur and other northeastern states for political gains.

"Home Minister Amit Shah in the House (Lok Sabha) gave detailed information on Manipur and also brought a proposal for calling for peace. But the Congress tried to create disturbance in the House and left no stone unturned in creating disturbance in Manipur as well," he told reporters.

The information and broadcasting minister alleged that the Congress' hands are "soaked in the blood of thousands of people of northeastern states".

"Rahul Gandhi ji, you are yearning for power like a fish out of water. You have a habit of sowing seeds of hatred," he alleged.

“The Congress party had gone to Manipur not to heal but to add fuel to the fire,” the minister charged, adding “Rahul Gandhi's launch once again failed and flopped.” Thakur's remarks came after Gandhi said it does not behove the prime minister to laugh and crack jokes in Parliament when the state has been "on fire" for the past four months.

The prime minister "wants Manipur to burn and allows it to burn", Gandhi alleged at a press conference at the Congress headquarters here and asserted that if the Narendra Modi government wanted to stop the violence, there are tools in the hands of the government that can do so immediately.

Hitting back, Thakur alleged that Gandhi's real concern is to remain in headlines, not Manipur or atrocities against women.

“He could not answer in the Parliament how he left the northeast to burn, for vote bank politics,” the minister charged, adding “Rahul Gandhi, please answer the country.” Thakur also slammed the Gandhi scion for “differentiating” the crime against women that happened in Manipur with those in Congress-ruled Rajasthan, TMC-ruled West Bengal and Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Bombs, bandhs and blasts used to be the identity of northeastern states during the Congress rule, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi took steps for development there.

“You had a Look East policy and kept on looking at it. Modi ji came and started Act East policy. Narendra Modi ji has visited the north-east more than any of your prime ministers visits in the past 60 years. Modi ji went there and took steps for development," he said.

Thakur ridiculed Gandhi for his “murder of Bharat mata” remark, saying it was unfortunate that the Congress leader wished for “death of Bharat mata”.

“Can any son of Mother India say that?.. Only those who support the 'tukde-tukde' gang can do this,” he said.