The Congress on Wednesday claimed that there had been no “marked improvement” in Manipur and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being “silent on the situation and abandoning the people of the State”.
In a statement, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said Manipur coming to such a situation just after 15 months since the BJP was elected to power was a “most damning indictment of its policies and the Prime Minister’s priorities”.
Also read | Every act of silence amplifies the horrors in Manipur
Mr. Ramesh alleged that five months ago, on the evening of May 3, violence erupted in the State because of the “divisive politics of the so-called double engine sarkar there”. He also accused Home Minister Amit Shah of visiting the State almost after a month and that too after being “relieved of his Karnataka election duties”.
“But there has been no marked improvement. In fact things have turned from bad to worse. Social harmony has broken down completely. Horrific details of violent crimes emerge every other day,” the Congress leader said in the statement posted on X.
Routine clashes
He added that tens of thousands of people continue to languish in relief camps and clashes between the armed forces and the State police had become routine.
“Yet the Prime Minister has been completely silent except for a much belated, routine and ritualistic comment for less than 5 mins in a 133-minute speech in the Lok Sabha on August 10. The Chief Minister continues to brazen it out despite majority of BJP MLAs wanting him out of office,” Mr. Ramesh said.
He asked when was the last time Mr. Modi spoke to the Chief Minister of Manipur or met his party MLAs from the State or discussed about the situation with his Cabinet colleagues from the State. “Never before has a Prime Minister completely abandoned a State and its entire people like now,” said Mr. Ramesh.
