Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “miserably failing” to protect the people of Manipur and said the turmoil in the state is another stark addition to the long list of his “betrayals” of the people of India.
Kharge alleged that it has been 16 months since Manipur has been engulfed in violence, but the BJP’s ‘double engine’ government has done nothing to mitigate it.
No measure has been taken which instils confidence among the people of all the communities to ensure peace and normalcy, he claimed.
“Why has the Manipur CM (N Biren Singh) made to brazen it out and has not been sacked by you? Is he not culpable in virtually paralysing the state machinery, and making obnoxious statements, now recorded in public domain? A resignation drama was enacted to shamelessly dodge that bullet,” he said.
“Modi ji, why have you been so remorseless? Why have you not bothered to set foot in the state? It is because of your ego that people of all communities are suffering. Your government’s rank incompetency and shamelessness has not been able to start even a fundamental peace process!” Kharge said in his post on X.
He said bombing through drone attacks have just taken place in Imphal West district and Union Home Minister Amit Shah “seems to be asleep at the wheel”.
“Even your own BJP leaders and their houses are being attacked. Was the Governor removed because she raised her voice against the deplorable conditions of the relief camps?” the Congress chief said.
“At least 235 people have been killed. Countless injured. 67,000 people have been displaced and thousands including women and children continue to languish in relief camps with deplorable conditions,” Kharge said.
Apart from internal turmoil, now a national security threat also looms large at the borders of Manipur, he said.
“Pradhan Mantri Modi ji, you have miserably failed in protecting the people of Manipur. Manipur turmoil is another stark addition to the long list of your betrayals to the people of India,” Kharge said.
Ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities has claimed more than 200 lives in Manipur since May last year.