What Happened To Manipur Ki Baat? Congress Questions PM's Silence Amid Continuing Violence

Congress questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "still silent" about the ongoing violence between the Meitei and Kuki groups in Manipur.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh (left), Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right).

Source : PTI

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence on the ethnic clashes in Manipur, questioning him for not saying anything about the violence since the 100th episode of Mann ki Baat. He further questioned PM Modi about: "What happened to Manipur ki Baat?" "Two weeks since the Union Home Minister went to Manipur on a 3-day visit and announced a series of measures, the state continues to burn.  Violence and arson continues in all peripheral areas where the two communities affected by the ethnic violence live. There is cross-firing in multiple districts. The National Highways NH-2 and NH-37 are still blocked with a serious crisis of non-availability of essential commodities. The number of displaced people is more than one lakh with at least 50,000 people in 349 relief camps," Ramesh stated. 

Earlier last month, during his visit to the crisis-hit northeastern state of Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had appealed for 15 days of peace to bring normalcy in the state. 

Taking a dig at Shah's appeal, Ramesh raised a question stating: "Why has the Union Home Minister’s appeal for 15 days of peace on the 30th May, 2023 completely failed?" 

Raising a demand, the Congress stated: "Prime Minister should break his silence and visit Manipur at the earliest to make all efforts to restore trust in the administration and bring normalcy in the state."

The Congress party further demanded that a national all-party team be permitted to visit all impacted regions in Manipur and engage with all stakeholders.

On May 3, ethnic conflicts and violence erupted in Manipur after a demonstration staged by the All Tribal Students Union (ATSU) to protest a Manipur High Court judgement requesting that the state government consider placing the Meitei group on the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs). More than 100 people were killed in the subsequent rounds of violence between the Kuki and Meitei groups, and numerous houses were set on fire.