Still, a far-off land for Mr Prime Minister
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: February 06, 2024 -

NOT that it would make any difference now.

But the failure of the Prime Minister of a largest democratic country in the world to pay a visit or say a few words expressing his concern in connection with the humanitarian crisis that has been gripping the tiny northeastern Indian state of Manipur for more than nine months has definitely baffled everyone.

Hundreds of precious human lives, have been lost, private and public properties worth crores in Indian rupees reduced to ashes and thousands of families rendered homeless, forcing them to seek shelter in different relief camps set up across the length and breadth of the strife-torn state following the outbreak of an unprecedented ethnic conflict after a group of armed Kuki-Chin people clashed with the Meitei/Meetei over the latter's demand for recognition as scheduled tribe on May 3 last year.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who used to religiously include the issues of Manipur and was all praise for its hardworking and innovative people in his monthly Radio broadcast, "Maan Ki Baat," is yet to visit Manipur to meet the crisis affected people or say anything substantial for resolving the issue, other than his outburst over a distressing viral video of two women being paraded naked that surfaced just a day before the commencement of monsoon session of the Indian Parliament in July last year.

Even when the opposition parties forced him to speak on the Manipur issue by moving a motion of no-confidence in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament, all that Prime Minister Modi did in his two-hour long speech was to accuse the opposition parties of doing politics on the crisis in Manipur.

In particular, he held the Congress party responsible for "all the problems that the people of northeast including Manipur are facing today," by asserting that "The situation in Manipur is being portrayed as if the problem in the state started in the recent times. This is not true".

In addition to baffling everyone, the inexplicable silence and apparent indifferent attitude of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards the suffering of people in Manipur has given ample opportunity to his opponents to take digs not only at the executive head of the country but also at the double-engine government of BJP which is in power both at the centre and in the state for the inability to resolve a conflict lingering for nine months now.

In the latest instance, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera and his party colleague Jairam Ramesh had a field day in criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the strife-torn Manipur despite arriving in its neighbouring state Assam on a two-day trip on Saturday.

In an ingenious manner, Khera posted a screenshot of flights available on Monday (February, 5) between Guwahati and Imphal, along with their varied prices on his "X" account with the tweet, "Dear @PMOIndia, If Himanta can book a chopper for you then it is fine, otherwise here is the list of flights between Guwahati and Imphal tomorrow. Please let us know if we need to make the booking..."

Similarly, taking to the micro-blogging site, Jairam Ramesh shared a news report a bout Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday (February 3), and wrote "9 months to the day and yet no meeting with the PM who continues to maintain total silence on Manipur. The PM goes to Guwahati for a road show but cannot and will not go to Imphal. A horrific ANYAY by the PM on the people of Manipur."

As we have said at the very outset, it is not going to make any difference now whether the Prime Minister visits Manipur or say anything about the present crisis.

But the way in which the executive head of a democratic country has remained silent on a crisis, which is going to have far-reaching implication, let alone visiting the strife-torn Manipur to meet its suffering people, has not only done a great disfavour to the die-hard BJP supporters and partymen in the state but also put a big question mark on the future of saffron party in the state and elsewhere.