PM Modi visits Manipur for first time since 2023 violence; Cong calls it ‘tokenism’

Manipur, Sep 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to violence-hit Manipur since ethnic clashes broke out in May 2023, inaugurating and laying the foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 7,300 crore in Churachandpur and additional projects in Imphal, part of a larger development package.

The visit follows months of uproar from Congress leaders who have criticised the delay and called the short itinerary an ‘insult’ to the people still suffering after widespread displacement and loss.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described the trip as a ‘farce’, ‘tokenism’, and a ‘grave insult’, saying that the Prime Minister should not have waited two years to visit a state reeling from violence.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra echoed this view, saying the visit was overdue and that no remedy can replace the years lost by affected people.

Also, Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in charge of communications, criticised the planned visit as merely symbolic — a three-hour stop. He called it a ‘non-visit’, saying it fails to address the pain of those in relief camps and appears more like optics than action.

Meanwhile, former manipur chief minister N Biren Singh has defended the move, saying the visit aims to directly engage with people impacted by the violence and restore normalcy in the state. He asserted that locals await the benefits of the developmental efforts announced.