Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Monday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his visit to Moscow, contrasting it with Rahul Gandhi's trip to Assam and Manipur.
He said that the "non-biological" Prime Minister has not yet found the time to visit the violence-hit Manipur even for a few hours whereas Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's visit to the northeastern state will be his third in over a year.
"Today, the non-biological PM goes to Moscow while the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha heads for Assam and Manipur. Of course, the drumbeaters of the non-biological PM have claimed that he stopped the Russia-Ukraine war for some time," Ramesh posted on X on Monday.
Earlier today, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi visited the flood-affected people in Assam's Cachar district before heading to the violence-hit Manipur later in the day.
Gandhi proceeded to Fulertal, where he interacted with those living in relief camps due to the floods. This marks his first visit to the Northeast since becoming the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. The relief camp is situated along the route Gandhi took to Manipur's Jiribam district.
Further, Jairam Ramesh hit out at PM Modi for not visiting Manipur even after 14 months of violence that erupted in the state, saying, "Presumably, this Moscow trip will lead to even more bizarre claims. This is Rahul Gandhi's third visit to Manipur ever since the state blew up fourteen months ago."
PM Modi earlier today embarked for Moscow for a two-day visit at the invitation of the Russian President to the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.
"The non-biological PM has not found the time nor even had the inclination to visit Manipur even for a few hours after the grave crisis erupted on May 3rd, 2023. He has not even met the CM of the state - who happens to be from his own party - and other political leaders of the state including MLAs and MPs," he said.
The violence in Manipur erupted in May 2023 following clashes sparked by protests against the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category, leading to a prolonged crisis.
Despite assurances from the central government, including more than 11,000 FIRs filed and over 500 arrests made, criticism has mounted over the Prime Minister's lack of direct engagement with the state's leadership and affected communities.
