Rahul welcomes PM’s Manipur visit but reiterares 'vote chori' claim

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to visit Manipur for the first time since ethnic violence erupted over two years ago, the Congress has responded with a mix of cautious approval and sharp criticism. While Rahul Gandhi described the visit as a positive step, senior party leaders Pawan Khera and Jairam Ramesh slammed the timing and limited scope of the trip, calling it inadequate for a state still grappling with unrest.

Speaking during a tour of Junagadh in Gujarat, Rahul noted that the crisis in Manipur had dragged on for far too long. He remarked that it was good the PM was finally visiting the troubled state. At the same time, he reiterated his charge of “vote theft”, accusing the BJP of manipulating mandates in Haryana and Maharashtra, and claiming that ordinary people now refer to the ruling party as “vote chor”.

The PM is scheduled to arrive in Manipur on Saturday, before travelling to Mizoram to inaugurate the Bairabi-Sairang railway line project. Reports suggest he will spend only three hours in Manipur, a detail that has drawn strong objections from the Congress.

Khera, the party’s media chief, argued that such a brief visit trivialised the suffering of the people. He pointed to the cultural performances planned for the occasion, saying many locals were unwilling to participate while still grieving.

According to him, residents were pulling down hoardings in anger and expressing deep frustration at the government’s handling of the crisis.

Ramesh also questioned the purpose of what he described as a hurried trip. Sharing news clippings on social media, he said after 29 months of waiting, Manipur deserved more than a symbolic appearance lasting only a few hours. He called the plan an insult to the people, accusing the PM of displaying indifference towards their prolonged hardship.

"So now it is official. The PM will spend less than three hours in Manipur tomorrow. This visit instead of providing a force for peace and harmony is actually going to be a farce," Ramesh wrote on X.

The visit comes against the backdrop of continuing violence and displacement in Manipur, where clashes since May 2023 have left over 200 people dead and tens of thousands displaced.