Once Again, You Failed Upholding Rajadharma: Congress Attacks PM Modi on Manipur
On the second anniversary of the ethnic violence in Manipur, the Congress launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of abandoning the state in its hour of need and failing in his constitutional duty.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge led the charge, calling out the Prime Minister for not having set foot in Manipur since the outbreak of violence on 3 May 2023. “More than 260 lives lost, 68,000 displaced, and yet, not a single visit from the PM. This is not just apathy; it is a complete abdication of Rajadharma,” Kharge said in a strongly worded statement on Saturday.
Kharge highlighted the Prime Minister’s 44 foreign trips and 250 domestic visits since January 2022, pointing out that not even a second was spared for Manipur. He also questioned the Centre’s delay in imposing President’s Rule despite clear signs of breakdown in governance and public outcry.
The situation in the state remains fragile. Just two days ago, 25 people were injured in violent clashes in Tamenglong district, further exposing the government’s inability to restore peace. The Congress alleged that even after President’s Rule was imposed in February 2025—twenty months after the demand first surfaced—there has been little to no progress.
Kharge also criticised the Modi government for passing the resolution to adopt President’s Rule at “2 AM midnight in a hurried manner,” calling it an attempt to escape scrutiny. “Even now, there are no answers. No special package, no genuine peace initiative, not even a meeting with the affected communities,” Kharge said.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh echoed these sentiments, reminding the public that the violence erupted just months after the BJP had secured a decisive mandate in the February 2022 elections. “This was a collapse authored by their own ‘double engine’ sarkar. The Supreme Court had to declare an absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery,” he noted.
Ramesh further lamented the continued suffering of over 60,000 internally displaced people still languishing in relief camps. “The Prime Minister has travelled the world but has not had the sensitivity to visit Manipur. The Union Home Minister, who has been handling the situation, has failed miserably,” he added.
Meanwhile, Manipur observed a near-total shutdown on Saturday as several organisations marked the grim anniversary. In Imphal Valley, the Meitei group COCOMI enforced a strike, while in the hill districts, the Kuki Students Organisation and Zomi Students Federation called for a shutdown. Markets, educational institutions, and offices remained closed, and public transport was off the roads.
Security forces were on high alert, and various events were held across the state to commemorate the victims. While COCOMI organised a mass convention and candlelight vigil in Imphal, Kuki groups observed a ‘Day of Separation’ in the hill districts with memorial events at Churachandpur’s ‘Wall of Remembrance’ and Sehken Burial site.
