The Congress on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's remarks expressing concern about peace in Manipur, suggesting that Bhagwat could urge the "former RSS office-bearer" to visit the northeastern state.
Manipur has witnessed violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities since May last year, resulting in around 200 casualties and displacing thousands due to widespread arson. Fresh violence has been reported from Jiribam recently.
Bhagwat expressed concern over Manipur's lack of peace even after a year and stressed that the situation in the strife-torn state must be addressed with urgency.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, remarked, "If not the 'one-third' Prime Minister's conscience or the repeated demands of the people of Manipur, perhaps Mr. Bhagwat can prevail upon the former RSS office-bearer to go to Manipur."
Speaking at a gathering of RSS trainees, Bhagwat emphasized that conflicts in society are detrimental and urged to move past election rhetoric to focus on the nation's challenges.
"Manipur has been waiting for peace for the last year. There was peace in Manipur 10 years ago, and it seemed like the gun culture had ended. But the state has witnessed sudden violence," Bhagwat stated.