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'Not Compassion, But Grave Insult': Congress Attacks PM Modi Over 'Pit Stop' To Manipur, Slams Delayed Visit
ABP Live News | September 13, 2025 4:11 PM CST

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for visiting Manipur nearly two years after ethnic violence first erupted in the northeastern state.

Speaking to reporters in Wayanad, Kerala, Gandhi said she was “glad” the Prime Minister had finally decided to visit but stressed that the delay was deeply regrettable.

“I am glad that he has decided after two years that it’s worth his visiting. He should have visited much long before,” she remarked.

Calling the move “very unfortunate,” Gandhi accused Modi of letting the unrest fester unchecked.

“He has allowed what is happening there to happen for so long, so many people to get killed, so many to go through strife, before he has decided to visit,” she said, adding that past Prime Ministers, regardless of political affiliation, had always rushed to places in distress. “That has been the tradition since independence. So, while he is fulfilling it after two years, he should have thought of it earlier.”

Kharge Calls PM’s Visit “Tokenism”

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also criticised Modi’s brief stop in Manipur, labelling it “a farce, tokenism, and a grave insult to a wounded people.”

In a post on X, Kharge said the Prime Minister’s planned roadshow in Imphal and Churachandpur was nothing more than “a cowardly escape” from meeting those displaced by the violence.

“Your 3-hour pit stop in Manipur is not compassion, it is a farce, tokenism, and a grave insult to a wounded people,” Kharge wrote. “Your so-called roadshow in Imphal and Churachandpur is nothing but a cowardly escape from hearing the cries of people in relief camps.”

He further pointed out that around 300 people had lost their lives, 67,000 were displaced, and 1,500 injured in the violence while the Prime Minister made dozens of foreign trips since January 2022, his last visit to Manipur.

Kharge also accused Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of “gross incompetence and complicity,” saying their actions were shielded by the imposition of President’s Rule in the state.

Modi’s First Visit Since Violence Broke Out

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Manipur on Saturday afternoon, marking his first visit since clashes broke out in May 2023. The trip is part of a three-day tour of five states — Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar, from September 13 to 15.

The Prime Minister was welcomed at Imphal airport by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel. Earlier in the day, he had launched the Bairabi–Sairang rail line in Mizoram, linking the state to the national rail network for the first time.

In Manipur, Modi is scheduled to attend programmes in both Churachandpur, a Kuki-majority district, and Imphal, the Meitei-dominated capital. Officials said he is also expected to meet internally displaced persons in relief camps, a significant move given the prolonged unrest.

“I will be attending programmes in Churachandpur and Imphal tomorrow, 13th September. We are fully committed to furthering inclusive and all-round development of Manipur,” Modi posted on X ahead of the visit.

Development Projects on the Agenda

During the day-long trip, Modi will unveil and lay the foundation for projects worth over ₹8,500 crore, including:

  • The ₹3,647-crore Manipur Urban Roads, Drainage, and Asset Management Project
  • Five national highway projects exceeding ₹2,500 crore
  • The Manipur Infotech Development (MIND) project in Imphal
  • Working women’s hostels at nine locations across the state

He will also inaugurate Manipur Bhawans in Delhi and Kolkata, the new civil secretariat at Mantripukhri, an upgraded state police headquarters, and all-women’s markets in various districts. Later, Modi will address a public gathering at Kangla Fort in Imphal.

Wider Tour Across Five States

The Manipur visit forms part of a broader itinerary covering five states. On Sunday, the Prime Minister is set to attend centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika in Assam and unveil projects worth ₹18,530 crore, including the Guwahati Ring Road and the Darrang Medical College and Hospital.

He will then travel to Kolkata for the 16th Combined Commanders’ Conference and wrap up his tour in Bihar, where he is expected to launch initiatives totalling ₹36,000 crore, including a ₹25,000-crore thermal power plant in Pirpainti and the Kosi–Mechi River Link Project. The National Makhana Board, announced in the Union Budget 2025, will also be launched in Purnea.

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