As PM heads to China, Cong slams Centre for ‘abandoning’ Manipur

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a two-nation tour to Japan and China, the Congress on Friday questioned his priorities, accusing him of strengthening Beijing’s position while ignoring the ongoing turmoil in Manipur.

In a sharp post on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said India was being “forced to normalise relations with China, largely on their terms,” alleging that Beijing was exploiting the recent downturn in Indo-US ties.

“His visit to China is a moment of some reckoning for India. We are being forced to normalise relations with China — largely on their terms, with China trying to take advantage of the downturn in Indo-US ties as well,” Ramesh wrote.

He added that the government had brushed aside serious concerns, including China’s partnership with Pakistan during “Operation Sindoor,” which, he said, had been flagged by India’s own military establishment.

Ramesh also recalled Modi’s June 19, 2020, remark, “Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai,” — calling it a “cowardly clean chit” that had crippled India’s negotiating position and prevented restoration of the pre-April 2020 status quo along the border. “This visit is the inevitable result of that notorious statement,” he remarked.

The Congress leader further attacked Modi for refusing to visit Manipur since ethnic clashes broke out in May 2023.

“The long-suffering people of Manipur are still awaiting his visit to heal the wounds,” he wrote, adding that the Prime Minister had “washed his hands off” the state, leaving it a “tragic testimony” to the failures of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.