NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended his greetings to the people of Manipur on statehood day. Congress called the move “hollow” and said that it reflected “his hypocrisy” as he had failed to visit the strife-torn state even once since the violence began on May 3, 2023.
“Greetings to the people of Manipur on their Statehood Day. We are incredibly proud of the role played by the people of Manipur towards India’s development. My best wishes for the progress of Manipur,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
“The formerly non-biological – and now suddenly human – Prime Minister has just sent greetings to the people of Manipur on their Statehood Day through social media. Yet, he has stubbornly refused to visit Manipur even briefly ever since its agony began on May 3, 2023. He has gone all over the world but has not found the time nor the inclination to reach out to the people of the state in Imphal and other places,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
“Mr Modi has stubbornly refused to meet MLAs of his own party in the state. He has not had a one-on-one meeting with the CM, nor has he met with MPs, political leaders, and civil society organisations of the state. His Statehood Day greetings are hollow and reflect his hypocrisy – which knows no limits,” he added.
Congress has also demanded the prime minister to visit the state immediately. “INC India demands that he visit Manipur immediately. This is the very least he can do to show his concern if he has any. Outsourcing Manipur to the Union Home Minister is an abdication of Prime Ministerial responsibility and has proved disastrous,” he said.
PM Modi had addressed the Manipur situation last time in August, 2023 when he had accused opposition parties, whom he referred to as ‘GHAMANDIA’ (arrogant), of betraying the troubled state.
“But it is very sad that these people betrayed the Manipur people in a major way. Before the start of the monsoon session of Parliament, Union home minister (Amit Shah) wrote a letter to these political parties and said he immediately wanted to discuss Manipur with them because it is necessary that a detailed discussion takes place only on Manipur,” he had said.
The North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act of 1971 led to the reorganization of states in India’s strategically important northeastern region. Under this Act, Manipur and Tripura were granted statehood on January 21, 1972, while Meghalaya was carved out of Assam due to its distinct terrain.
