The PM’s much-awaited visit comes against the backdrop of mounting criticism by opposition parties, who have repeatedly targeted him for not visiting Manipur since May 2023, when clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities plunged the state into ethnic strife. It is not a standalone visit but part of an itinerary which includes visits to Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar from 13th to 15th September.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manipur on Saturday—his first trip to the state since ethnic violence broke out there over two years ago. His tour will begin from Churachandpur where he is scheduled to lay the foundation stones for development projects and meet people affected by the violence. Later in Imphal, he will address a public gathering at Kangla Fort and inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for multiple initiatives.
It is not a standalone visit but part of an itinerary which includes visits to Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar from 13th to 15th September.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi called the PM’s trip to Manipur “not a big deal” as a key issue before the country was “vote chori” (vote theft). Besides, the trip, according to him, was too late in the day. Speaking to the media in Junagadh Rahul said “Manipur has been in trouble for a long time and the PM has decided to go there now. So that’s not a big deal. The main issue today in India is ‘vote chori’.”
“So now it is official. The PM will spend less than 3 hours in Manipur tomorrow. This visit instead of providing a force for peace and harmony is actually going to be a farce,” said Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday
“The proposed visit of the Prime Minister to Manipur on Sept 13 is being hailed by his cheerleaders. But it appears that he will be spending just about 3 hours–yes just 3 hours–in the state. What does he hope to accomplish by such a rushed trip? This is actually an insult to the people of the state who have waited for him for 29 long and agonising months. Sept 13th will actually be a non-visit by the PM, who has once again revealed his callousness and insensitivity towards the people of Manipur,”
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) urged the PM to address the state’s deep-rooted crisis, warning against reducing it to “tokenism” or mere inauguration of projects. Urging the PM to focus on identifying illegal immigrants, implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC), resettling internally displaced persons, and ending the ongoing proxy war, the civil society group of the Meitei community stressed that the state was facing “the brunt of illegal immigrants”.
The All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO) maintained that the PM’s visit was more about getting credit rather than addressing the state’s pressing issues arising out of the two-year-long ethnic violence.
