Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge launched sharp attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday over his first visit to Manipur since ethnic violence broke out more than two years ago.
Speaking to reporters in Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi said she was “glad” the Prime Minister had finally decided to visit the strife-torn state but called the delay “very unfortunate.”
“He has allowed what is happening there to continue for so long — so many people have been killed and so many have suffered before he decided to visit. That has not been the tradition of Prime Ministers in India. Traditionally, leaders went wherever there was pain and suffering. He is fulfilling that tradition after two years — he should have thought of it earlier,” Priyanka said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was even more direct, calling Modi’s three-hour visit to Manipur a “farce, tokenism and a grave insult to a wounded people.”
“Your so-called roadshow in Imphal and Churachandpur today is nothing but a cowardly escape from hearing the cries of people in relief camps,” Kharge said in a post on X.
He accused Modi of prioritising foreign trips over domestic crises, claiming that since January 2022 — his last visit to Manipur for elections — Modi made 46 foreign trips while Manipur witnessed 864 days of unrest, nearly 300 deaths, 67,000 displacements, and over 1,500 injuries.
Kharge also targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging “gross incompetence and complicity” in handling the crisis, accusing the government of hiding behind President’s Rule while violence continues.
Despite the political criticism, PM Modi will spend three days touring five states — Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar — between September 13–15.
In Manipur, the PM is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for development projects worth over Rs 7,300 crore, including:
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Manipur Urban Roads, Drainage & Asset Management Project (Rs 3,600 crore)
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Five National Highway Projects (worth Rs 2,500+ crore)
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Manipur Infotech Development (MIND) Project
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Working Women’s Hostels across nine locations
