India
PM Modi in Moscow, Rahul in Imphal: Congress renews attack on Manipur | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Manipur has been one of the strongest weapons in the arsenal of the Congress-led opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government since May last year, when ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities in the state, claiming over 200 lives.
On Monday, the Congress leader said Rahul Gandhiwho has made the Manipur issue one of the central themes of his attack on the Modi government, made his third visit to the unrest-ridden state to meet victims of violence staying in relief camps. When Modi, who is yet to visit the state, went on a two-day visit to Russia, the Congress was quick to attack the prime minister again for ignoring the plight in Manipur.
“Today, the non-organic PM is going to Moscow while the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is going to Assam and Manipur. Of course, the non-organic PM’s drumbeaters have been claiming that he has stopped the war between Russia and Ukraine for some time now. This trip to Moscow is likely to lead to even more bizarre claims,” Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on X.
“The non-organic Chief Minister has neither had the time nor the inclination to visit Manipur even for a few hours after the grave crisis broke out on May 3, 2023. He has not even met the CM of the state — who happens to be from his own party — and other political leaders of the state, including MLAs and MPs,” the Congress leader added, targeting the Chief Minister.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also joined in the attack. In a post on X, she shared, “Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi ji met the victims of violence in Manipur today and consoled and encouraged them. Manipur has been in the grip of violence for over a year now. Hundreds of people have died. Thousands are living in relief camps. But the BJP government at the Centre has neither taken any positive initiative to restore peace nor has the Prime Minister visited Manipur.”
After his day-long visit, Rahul expressed disappointment over the efforts of Centre to help the people of Manipur and once again urged the Prime Minister to visit the state. “I had expected some improvement in the situation but I was disappointed to see that the situation is far from what it should be. I have visited the camps and heard the people there, heard their pain. I came here to listen to them, to instill confidence in them and as someone who is in the opposition, to put pressure on the government to take action,” Rahul said.
Congress’s attacks on Manipur
The Congress has been relentless in its attack on the Prime Minister for not visiting Manipur for the past 14 months. In the just concluded session of Parliament, Prime Minister Modi had to face the opposition who raised slogans about Manipur during his speech in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Though the Prime Minister did not mention Manipur in his speech in the Lok Sabha, in the Rajya Sabha he criticized the opposition for politicizing the issue.
“We are constantly trying to maintain peace and stability in Manipur. More than 11,000 FIRs have been registered and more than 500 people have been arrested in Manipur, which is a very small state. Now the incidents of violence are decreasing. This means peace is possible,” PM Modi had said while replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in Rajya Sabha.
“Both the central and state governments are actively working to resolve regional issues with patience and peace. Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Manipur and stayed there for weeks, interacting with relevant stakeholders,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi also attacked the Congress 10 times for imposing President’s Rule in the state during their tenure and also recalled the wave of violence in 1993 that lasted for about five years. The PM was responding to Rahul’s claims that the BJP-led NDA government had plunged Manipur into a civil war.
Rahul’s maiden visit to the state as leader of the Opposition could set the stage for a fresh round of confrontations in Parliament over the issue during the Budget session beginning on July 22.
Why is Congress so aggressive towards Manipur?
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections have offered a ray of hope for the Congress in the Northeast. The Congress won two seats in Manipur, one seat in Nagaland and one seat in Meghalaya from the BJP and its allies, besides winning three seats in Assam.
The grand old party that was once a dominant player in the region has been nearly wiped out by the BJP and its allies over the past decade. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA won 19 of the 25 seats in the region, while the Congress managed to bag just four. The Congress would be looking to build on this small window of hope to revive its influence in the region.
Rahul’s Nyay Yatra
The Congress had also targeted Manipur in the run-up to the Lok Sabha campaign. In January, Rahul Gandhi had launched his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Thoubal in Manipur. The Congress leader had then said that Manipur was an example of BJP’s “politics of hate” and claimed, “Perhaps for Narendra Modi, BJP and RSS, Manipur is not part of India”.
RSS Supports Attack on Congress
The opposition got a boost on the Manipur issue after the elections when RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat expressed concern over the lack of peace in the state even after a year. Addressing a gathering of RSS trainees, Bhagwat said, “Manipur has been waiting for peace for a year now. There was peace in Manipur 10 years ago. It felt like the gun culture was over there. But the state has suddenly seen violence.”
“The situation in Manipur needs to be looked at on a priority basis. We need to move beyond election rhetoric and focus on the issues facing the nation,” the RSS chief said. The agitation is either triggered or not triggered, but Manipur is burning and people are facing the extreme heat,” the RSS chief added.
The Congress was quick to pounce on Bhagwat’s remarks and hit out at Prime Minister Modi. “Maybe Bhagwat can persuade the ‘former RSS functionary’ to go to the northeastern state,” the party said in its reaction to the RSS leader’s remarks.
‘He is trying to politicize the issue’
Meanwhile, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised Rahul for his visit to Manipur and said he is trying to politicise the issue. “Manipur is a sensitive issue. Everyone should make efforts to bring peace there. Rahul Gandhi is politicising this issue. The Lok Sabha elections are over. Manipur needs ointments. There is a need to minimise the distance between the two communities,” the BJP leader said.
(With input from agencies)
On Monday, the Congress leader said Rahul Gandhiwho has made the Manipur issue one of the central themes of his attack on the Modi government, made his third visit to the unrest-ridden state to meet victims of violence staying in relief camps. When Modi, who is yet to visit the state, went on a two-day visit to Russia, the Congress was quick to attack the prime minister again for ignoring the plight in Manipur.
“Today, the non-organic PM is going to Moscow while the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is going to Assam and Manipur. Of course, the non-organic PM’s drumbeaters have been claiming that he has stopped the war between Russia and Ukraine for some time now. This trip to Moscow is likely to lead to even more bizarre claims,” Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on X.
“The non-organic Chief Minister has neither had the time nor the inclination to visit Manipur even for a few hours after the grave crisis broke out on May 3, 2023. He has not even met the CM of the state — who happens to be from his own party — and other political leaders of the state, including MLAs and MPs,” the Congress leader added, targeting the Chief Minister.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also joined in the attack. In a post on X, she shared, “Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi ji met the victims of violence in Manipur today and consoled and encouraged them. Manipur has been in the grip of violence for over a year now. Hundreds of people have died. Thousands are living in relief camps. But the BJP government at the Centre has neither taken any positive initiative to restore peace nor has the Prime Minister visited Manipur.”
After his day-long visit, Rahul expressed disappointment over the efforts of Centre to help the people of Manipur and once again urged the Prime Minister to visit the state. “I had expected some improvement in the situation but I was disappointed to see that the situation is far from what it should be. I have visited the camps and heard the people there, heard their pain. I came here to listen to them, to instill confidence in them and as someone who is in the opposition, to put pressure on the government to take action,” Rahul said.
Congress’s attacks on Manipur
The Congress has been relentless in its attack on the Prime Minister for not visiting Manipur for the past 14 months. In the just concluded session of Parliament, Prime Minister Modi had to face the opposition who raised slogans about Manipur during his speech in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Though the Prime Minister did not mention Manipur in his speech in the Lok Sabha, in the Rajya Sabha he criticized the opposition for politicizing the issue.
“We are constantly trying to maintain peace and stability in Manipur. More than 11,000 FIRs have been registered and more than 500 people have been arrested in Manipur, which is a very small state. Now the incidents of violence are decreasing. This means peace is possible,” PM Modi had said while replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in Rajya Sabha.
“Both the central and state governments are actively working to resolve regional issues with patience and peace. Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Manipur and stayed there for weeks, interacting with relevant stakeholders,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi also attacked the Congress 10 times for imposing President’s Rule in the state during their tenure and also recalled the wave of violence in 1993 that lasted for about five years. The PM was responding to Rahul’s claims that the BJP-led NDA government had plunged Manipur into a civil war.
Rahul’s maiden visit to the state as leader of the Opposition could set the stage for a fresh round of confrontations in Parliament over the issue during the Budget session beginning on July 22.
Why is Congress so aggressive towards Manipur?
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections have offered a ray of hope for the Congress in the Northeast. The Congress won two seats in Manipur, one seat in Nagaland and one seat in Meghalaya from the BJP and its allies, besides winning three seats in Assam.
The grand old party that was once a dominant player in the region has been nearly wiped out by the BJP and its allies over the past decade. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA won 19 of the 25 seats in the region, while the Congress managed to bag just four. The Congress would be looking to build on this small window of hope to revive its influence in the region.
Rahul’s Nyay Yatra
The Congress had also targeted Manipur in the run-up to the Lok Sabha campaign. In January, Rahul Gandhi had launched his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Thoubal in Manipur. The Congress leader had then said that Manipur was an example of BJP’s “politics of hate” and claimed, “Perhaps for Narendra Modi, BJP and RSS, Manipur is not part of India”.
RSS Supports Attack on Congress
The opposition got a boost on the Manipur issue after the elections when RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat expressed concern over the lack of peace in the state even after a year. Addressing a gathering of RSS trainees, Bhagwat said, “Manipur has been waiting for peace for a year now. There was peace in Manipur 10 years ago. It felt like the gun culture was over there. But the state has suddenly seen violence.”
“The situation in Manipur needs to be looked at on a priority basis. We need to move beyond election rhetoric and focus on the issues facing the nation,” the RSS chief said. The agitation is either triggered or not triggered, but Manipur is burning and people are facing the extreme heat,” the RSS chief added.
The Congress was quick to pounce on Bhagwat’s remarks and hit out at Prime Minister Modi. “Maybe Bhagwat can persuade the ‘former RSS functionary’ to go to the northeastern state,” the party said in its reaction to the RSS leader’s remarks.
‘He is trying to politicize the issue’
Meanwhile, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised Rahul for his visit to Manipur and said he is trying to politicise the issue. “Manipur is a sensitive issue. Everyone should make efforts to bring peace there. Rahul Gandhi is politicising this issue. The Lok Sabha elections are over. Manipur needs ointments. There is a need to minimise the distance between the two communities,” the BJP leader said.
(With input from agencies)
