Congress slams PM Modi for ‘studiously avoiding’ Manipur violence

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Manipur situation and said he continues to make plans to travel in other parts of the country and abroad, but “studiously avoiding” a visit to the “most troubled state”.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that on May 3, 2023, Manipur began burning and on June 4, 2023, a three-member Commission of Enquiry was set up to investigate the causes and spread of violence and riots.

“It was given six months to submit its report. No report has been submitted till now. The Commission has just been given time till Nov 24, 2024 to do so,” he said.

“Meanwhile the anguish and agony of the people of Manipur continues unabated. And the non-biological PM continues to make plans to travel in other parts of the country and abroad, studiously avoiding a visit to this most troubled state,” Ramesh said in his post on X.

His remarks come a day after the Centre granted time till November 20 to a Commission of Inquiry to submit a report on its investigations into the series of violence in Manipur that has claimed more than 220 lives so far.

The commission, headed by former chief justice of Gauhati High Court Ajai Lamba, was set up on June 4, 2023.

The panel, also comprising retired IAS officer Himanshu Shekhar Das and retired IPS officer Aloka Prabhakar, was mandated to make inquiries with respect to the causes and spread of the violence and riots targeting the members of different communities which took place in Manipur since May 3, 2023.

More than 220 people were killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between the Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and the adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.