PM Modi 'Let State Burn,' Says Jairam Ramesh After Sharing '15 Months' Manipur Speech

Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh has sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2017 election promise to resolve Manipur’s issues in “15 months,” referencing the ongoing violence in the state. Ramesh, also a Rajya Sabha member, shared a video of Modi’s election campaign speech from February 27, 2017, where the Prime Minister claimed that the BJP would end blockades and achieve what the Congress had failed to do in 15 years.

Ramesh accused Modi of allowing Manipur to “go up in flames” since May 2023. “The Supreme Court has declared a breakdown of the constitutional machinery, yet Modi remains unmoved,” he added, also highlighting the destruction of Modi’s posters in Imphal amidst renewed internet shutdowns.

On Monday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also attacked the Prime Minister for the “abject failure in Manipur”, and said which “is unforgivable”.

Kharge also put forward some demands from country’s principal Opposition party, Congress, that included immediate dismissal of Manipur chief minister Biren Singh. He also demanded the Union government to take full responsibility of the sensitive security situation. “There should be a massive crackdown on all kinds of insurgent groups, with the help of the state forces. The Supreme Court mandated and monitored Manipur Commission of Inquiry into ethnic violence must expedite its investigation. Modi government must not misuse CBI, NIA and other agencies investigating the violence,” Kharge demanded.

Manipur has been embroiled in violent clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities for over a year. Last week, 11 more people were killed, further escalating tensions.

The Manipur government has since imposed a five-day internet ban to prevent the spread of hate speech and violence. Curfews were reintroduced after fresh protests turned violent. An order issued by the government of Manipur underscored that there is apprehension that some anti-social elements might use social media “extensively for transmission of images, hate speech, and hate video messages inciting the passions of the public,” which might have serious repercussions for the law-and-order situation in Manipur, given the prevailing condition in the state.