ITANAGAR, 12 Sep: Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bosiram Siram on Friday strongly criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur, calling it “too little, too late” after two years of silence while the state burned.
“The belated visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Manipur – after more than two years of burning, bloodshed, and displacement – is deeply disappointing. When the state was torn apart by ethnic violence in May 2023, when mothers and children were forced into relief camps, when people cried out for justice and peace, the prime minister remained silent and absent,” he said in a press release.
Modi chose not to visit when the BJP was in power, but comes now under President’s Rule. This is politics, not compassion, he said.
Siram said that the then BJP government in Manipur stopped Rahul Gandhi from visiting Churachandpur district to meet the victims in relief camps.
“Manipur Police (under the BJP state government) stopped his convoy at Bishnupur, citing ‘security reasons’ and road blockades,” he said.
Gandhi was prevented from travelling by road and was taken to Churachand-pur by helicopter, restricting his free movement and preventing him from interacting with more people on the way, Siram said.
Even while Gandhi was trying to reach out to victims, the PM did not visit Manipur at all during the peak of the violence. “This gave a strong impression that the BJP was trying to block opposition outreach while covering up its own failures,” he said.
Siram demanded immediate restoration of democracy in Manipur with an elected state government; peace and rehabilitation for displaced families; and justice for the victims and accountability of perpetrators of violence.
“The displaced must return home with safety, housing, and compensation. Perpetrators of violence must be brought to justice, irrespective of community or political linkages,” the release said.
Siram also demanded a guarantee of free movement of people without fear in the state.
He sought a genuine roadmap for reconciliation. “Work for reconciliation, not division.
The union government must initiate dialogue with all stakeholders – valley and hills, Meitei and Kuki-Zo – and rebuild trust through reconciliation, not suppression,” he said.
