BJP, RSS ideology burnt Manipur: Rahul Gandhi retorts after Smriti Irani's 'fire' charge

He went on to say that it is the ideology of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has "burnt" Manipur.

In a video shared on social media by the Congress, Gandhi is heard saying, "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 retort came after Irani Wednesday accused opposition parties, including Gandhi, of remaining silent on crimes against women in non-BJP-ruled states.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Irani even charged 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.

Rahul Gandhi, however, avoided a direct clash with Irani and accused the BJP and its ideological parent 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."

This comes as the horrific video from Manipur, which showed two women being paraded naked by a mob, became viral ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament and continues to create a massive ruckus in both houses with the opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over it.

When it was made clear that PM Modi would not give a statement on the same, the opposition moved a no-confidence motion against the government that was accepted by Speaker Om Birla.