Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday reacted to the Supreme Court judges delegation reaching Manipur and took the opportunity to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not having visited the state since violence broke almost two years ago.
“It is good that Supreme Court judges have gone, but the bigger question is when will the Prime Minister visit?” he said.
He also urged Prime Minister Modi to visit Manipur, saying, “We hope that on his way to Bangkok or while returning from Bangkok, the Prime Minister takes some time to visit Manipur. The Prime Minister’s visit is crucial for a healing touch.”
A Supreme Court judges’ delegation, led by Justice BR Gavai, arrived in Imphal, Manipur, on Saturday to visit relief camps in the violence-hit state.
The minister also welcomed the visit by the judges, but criticised the delay in imposing the President’s rule, despite the “collapse of the constitutional system” in the state.
“We welcome the six judges who have gone to Manipur. But the question arises, even after the Supreme Court itself on August 1, 2023, said that the constitutional system in Manipur had been completely demolished, why did it take 18 months to impose President’s rule?” he said.
Ramesh also criticised home Minister Amit Shah for not addressing the situation in Manipur during discussions on the working of the Ministry of home Affairs (MHA) in Parliament. “Yesterday, the home Minister gave a response in the Rajya Sabha for about four hours about the work of his home Ministry, but he did not say much about Manipur,” he said.
He also criticised Shah for visiting Mizoram but not Manipur. “The home Minister goes to Mizoram, why didn’t he go to Manipur? And the things that the Chief Minister of Mizoram has said after going to America raise many questions,” the Congress leader remarked.
Manipur has faced ethnic violence since May 3, 2023, after clashes broke out between the Meitei majority and the Kuki tribal community following a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM). The conflict has caused hundreds of deaths and mass displacement, forcing the central government to deploy paramilitary forces to restore order.
