Imphal: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to visit Manipur on September 13, the Congress on Tuesday described the visit as “too little, too late,” criticizing the Prime Minister for his prolonged absence from the northeastern state amid a prolonged ethnic crisis.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that while the Prime Minister has traveled extensively abroad and visited other northeastern states like Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in the past two-and-a-half years, he has “found neither the time nor the inclination to reach out to the people of Manipur.”
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Manipur has been grappling with ethnic violence since May 3, 2023, triggered by protests from the Kuki-Zo tribes over a high court recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the Meiteis. The unrest has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced thousands, leaving tens of thousands living in relief camps.
Ramesh, in a post on X, said, “The complete neglect of Manipur by the Prime Minister, combined with the loud-mouthed incompetence of the Union Home Minister, has deepened the pain, distress, and agony of all communities in Manipur.”
He highlighted that even after the Supreme Court noted a complete breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state on August 1, 2023, the Prime Minister remained silent.
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The Congress leader also criticized the handling of state administration, including the extended period when the new tribal woman governor operated from Guwahati and the imposition of President’s Rule on February 13, 2025, which has “made no marked difference to the daily lives of people.”
Ramesh further alleged that for 29 months, PM Modi refused to meet any political leaders, MLAs, MPs, or civil society representatives from Manipur, not even offering condolences on the passing of cultural icon Ratan Thiyam in July 2025.
According to officials in Aizawl, PM Modi will first visit Mizoram to inaugurate the new Bairabi-Sairang railway station and is expected to proceed to Manipur. Final details of the itinerary are yet to be confirmed, and officials in Imphal could not verify the visit.
In preparation for the proposed visit, Manipur Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel chaired a meeting on Tuesday to review security arrangements for the venues at Kangla in Imphal and Peace Ground in Churachandpur district.
Mizoram Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena also convened a meeting on Monday with state departments and law enforcement agencies to ensure readiness for the Prime Minister’s visit.