kharge-accuses-modi-of-ignoring-manipur-for-864-days

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of insulting victims of Manipur’s ethnic violence by making what he described as a “pit stop” visit, more than two years after the unrest began.

 

In a sharp post on X, Kharge said the Prime Minister had ignored the state’s suffering for 864 days while making 46 foreign trips during the same period. He alleged that Modi had never visited Manipur to console victims, even as the violence claimed nearly 300 lives, displaced 67,000 people and left more than 1,500 injured.

 

“Your so-called roadshow in Imphal and Churachandpur today is nothing but a cowardly escape from hearing the cries of people in relief camps,” Kharge wrote.

 

The Congress chief also accused Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of “gross incompetence and complicity” in handling the crisis, saying that the imposition of President’s Rule was a means to shield the government from scrutiny while violence continued.

 

Also Read : PM seeks to recast Manipur as symbol of 'peace and prosperity'

 

Calling the visit a “hush-hush pit stop,” Kharge said it was “not repentance but a grand welcome ceremony for yourself” and a “cruel prick to the wounds” of those still suffering. “This hush-hush pit stop isn’t repentance. It’s not even guilt,” he added.

 

Kharge also invoked the phrase “Where is your rajdharma?” — former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 2002 remark to Modi, then Gujarat chief minister — which has since been interpreted as a call for leaders to rise above politics and uphold constitutional duty during crises.

 

PM Modi’s trip marks his first visit to Manipur since the outbreak of ethnic clashes in May 2023. More than 200 people have been killed since then.

 

Manipur Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel said the Prime Minister would land in Churachandpur, one of the worst-hit districts, to meet internally displaced persons and lay the foundation stone for development projects worth over Rs 7,300 crore.

 

The visit comes days after fresh clashes in Churachandpur, where miscreants vandalised decorations prepared for the event.