Guwahati, Sept 13: The Congress on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his first visit to Manipur since the outbreak of violence in May 2023, calling it a “farce” and a “grave insult” to those still suffering in relief camps.
Congress general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she was “glad” the Prime Minister had finally decided to visit after two years, but added that he should have gone “long before.” She said it was “very unfortunate that he allowed the situation to continue for so long, resulting in so many deaths.” Vadra argued that Prime Ministers in India, regardless of party, have always made it a tradition to visit people “during times of pain and suffering,” and accused Modi of breaking that tradition until now.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was even more scathing, describing Modi’s three-hour visit as a “pit stop” and his public appearances in Imphal and Churachandpur as a “cowardly escape from hearing the cries of people in relief camps.”
In a statement, Kharge accused the Prime Minister of prioritising foreign trips over domestic crises, noting:
“864 days of violence: around 300 lives lost, 67,000 displaced, 1,500+ injured.”
“You made 46 foreign trips since, but not a single visit to share two words of sympathy with your own citizens.”
“Your last visit to Manipur? January 2022 — for elections.”
The Congress president further alleged that Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had shown “gross incompetence and complicity” in failing to prevent the violence and claimed the imposition of President’s Rule was used to shield them from scrutiny.
“It is the BJP which was responsible for maintaining law and order in the state, and it is now the Union government which is dithering,” Kharge said, adding that national security and border protection are also the Centre’s responsibility.
Calling Modi’s welcome ceremony in Manipur “a cruel prick to the wounds of those still suffering,” Kharge concluded with a pointed question: “Where is your raj dharma?”
The Congress criticism came hours after Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth over ₹7,300 crore in Churachandpur, his first trip to Manipur in over two years.
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