Congress' Jairam Ramesh on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely visit to Ukraine. Taking a swipe, the Congress leader questioned whether the Prime Minister would visit Manipur, which has been experiencing ethnic conflict, before or after his trip to the European nation.
Taking his concerns on social media platform X, Jairam Ramesh sarcastically referred to the prime minister as a ‘deity’ and questioned the priorities of the government.
“The Chief Minister of Manipur attends the NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi presided over by the self-anointed non-biological PM. Then the Manipur CM attends a meeting of BJP CMs and Deputy CMs presided over by the same deity,” he said.
He asked whether Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had a one-on-one meeting with Modi to discuss the ongoing violence in Manipur and if an invitation was extended for Modi to visit the state.
“The simple question that the people of Manipur are asking is this: Did Shri N. Biren Singh meet with Shri Narendra Modi separately one-on-one and discuss the situation in Manipur, which started burning on the night of May 3rd 2023? Did Shri Biren Singh invite Shri Narendra Modi to visit Manipur, either before or after His trip to Ukraine,” Ramesh added.
The Congress party has consistently targeted the prime minister for not visiting Manipur, where conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities has been ongoing since May 2023. Despite being governed by Modi’s BJP, the state remains in turmoil.
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Recently, Rahul Gandhi-led Opposition cornered the Modi govt in the Parliament. As the PM started his speech, opposition leaders started shouting ‘Justice for Manipur’.
If the Ukraine visit proceeds, it would be Modi's first visit to the country since Russia’s invasion in 2022. Earlier, PM Modi met with President Zelensky in June at the G7 summit in Italy, where they discussed the ongoing conflict.