Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday alleged that the Congress did not pay attention to Manipur and other north-eastern states during its rule, leading to the rise of several militant groups in the region.

"The recent violence in Manipur was not the first such incident that happened in the state as 500-800 lives were lost in ethnic clashes in the past, but the previous governments at the Centre never paid attention," the Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister stated while speaking to reporters in Nagpur city of Maharashtra on Friday, October 4.