'Not a single word of regret, nor did he apologise': P Chidambaram on PM Modi's Manipur visit after two years of conflict

Addressing the people during his trip, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged different ethnic groups of Manipur to set aside violence and help bring peace back to the region.

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Manipur visit, accusing him of failing to apologise for his delayed arrival in the violence-hit state and questioning the brevity of his stay.

In a post on X, the senior Congress MP wrote, “In the 2023 riots in Manipur, 258 people lost their lives, 1,108 people were injured, 532 places of worship were damaged, 60,000 people were displaced, thousands of people are still in refugee camps today. For two years, Prime Minister Modi has not even bothered to visit Manipur.” He further added, “Mr. Modi, who went to Manipur yesterday, did not express a single word of regret, nor did he apologise for not coming for two years. Can you buy the people of Manipur for Rs 7,300 crore projects, Rs 1,200 crore projects?”

The Prime Minister had on Saturday laid the foundation stone of multiple development schemes worth more than Rs 7,300 crore at Churachandpur and inaugurated projects valued at over Rs 1,200 crore in Imphal. This was his first visit to the state since ethnic clashes broke out in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities, a discord that has continued for over two years.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also joined in the criticism, pointing to the short duration of the PM’s trip. “The people of Manipur have been undergoing tremendous pain, distress, suffering, and agony for the past 28 months ever since the state erupted. The people of Manipur have waited patiently for the PM to visit the state. He has finally obliged them today. But he was in the state, from landing till take-off, for less than 5 hours,” Ramesh said in his post on X.

Highlighting what he termed as insensitivity, Ramesh added, “The PM has the time (and the inclination) to spend days campaigning and travelling across the world. But is Manipur worth only so much to him? It is shockingly insensitive.” He ended his remarks with the Hindi phrase, “der aae par durust nahi aae” (PM’s visit delayed, however, not adequate).

Meanwhile, addressing the people during his trip, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged different ethnic groups of Manipur to set aside violence and help bring peace back to the region. He said a new dawn of “hope and confidence” was rising in the state.

With inputs from ANI