Guwahati: The Congress party on Sunday attacked the central government over the tension in Manipur, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “insensitive” to the suffering of the people in the northeastern state.
This condemnation follows fresh tensions that erupted in Manipur on the night of June 7, triggered by the arrest of Arambai Tengol leaders.
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The Congress General Secretary, Jairam Ramesh, on his official social media handle X, stated the anguish of Manipur continues unabated, with five districts – Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur – rocked by fresh violence over the past 24 hours. This escalating crisis states a catastrophic breakdown of law and order and a shocking display of indifference from the highest levels of government.
Ramesh cited the stark contrast between the BJP’s secure majority in the February 2022 assembly elections and the subsequent descent into chaos.
“Less than fifteen months later, from the night of May 3, 2023, Manipur was made to burn,” Ramesh posted.
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He lamented the loss of hundreds of innocent lives, the displacement of thousands, and the destruction of places of worship.
The Congress leader criticized the Union Government’s response, pointing to the repeatedly extended deadlines for the three-member Commission of Inquiry, now set for November 20, 2025.
He reminded followers of the Supreme Court’s damning observation on August 1, 2023, that “there had been an absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state for the past two months.”
Ramesh slammed the Prime Minister’s “absolute silence” on the Manipur crisis. “The Union Home Minister went through the motions of visiting Manipur while the PM maintained absolute silence, refusing to say anything and meet anybody from the state,” he wrote.
He further detailed the events leading to President’s Rule, which the Congress had consistently demanded.
Ramesh stated that the Indian National Congress initially demanded President’s Rule, but the government ignored this until the INC announced its intention to introduce a no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister in the assembly session starting February 10, 2025.
He alleged that the BJP, “read the writing on the wall,” prompting the CM’s resignation on February 9, 2025, and the eventual imposition of President’s Rule on February 13, 2025.
However, Ramesh stressed that President’s Rule has yielded no improvement. “President’s Rule, however, has made no difference. The Governor himself has been forced to travel from Imphal airport to his residence by helicopter. Law and order in many parts of the state remains in a state of peril,” he stated.
Furthermore, Ramesh questioned the Prime Minister’s priorities. “When will the PM find the time and inclination to visit Manipur?” he asked.
He mocked past claims about the PM’s international influence, stating, “His drum-beaters once claimed that he had stopped the war between Ukraine and Russia for a while. That claim, like most of his boasts, proved completely bogus.”
Ramesh asserted that despite extensive national and international travel for “trademark inaugurations,” the Prime Minister has “NEVER met with political leaders or civil society organisations from Manipur,” effectively outsourcing the state’s management to a “miserably failed” Union Home Minister.
“The insensitivity of the Frequent Flyer PM to the suffering of the people of Manipur is truly shocking and defies understanding. He stands totally exposed, just as the people of the state continue to pay the price of his callous and complete indifference. Their suffering is that of not only the state and the northeastern region but of the entire country,” Ramesh added, calling for immediate and direct intervention from the Prime Minister.
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