Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised questions about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's absence from Imphal, marking a multi-faceted critique of the Prime Minister's political engagements in Northeast India.
Currently, Modi is in Assam, having recently addressed a public gathering in Nalbari, following a grand roadshow in Guwahati the preceding day. His itinerary includes plans to travel to Agartala for further campaign activities.
Jairam Ramesh posed three questions to PM Modi, sharply criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for alleged unfulfilled promises.
One of the key points emphasized by Ramesh was the lack of a visit by the Prime Minister to Manipur, despite the outbreak of violence in the region in May of the previous year. He underscored that the situation escalated to a level reminiscent of 'civil war,' yet Modi has not yet made an official visit to the state.
"The Prime Minister is in Nalbari, Assam today, following which he heads to Agartala, Tripura for his election campaign. Since he is in the area, we recommend he visits Imphal in Manipur. Since May 3rd, 2023, more than 200 people have been killed and more than 60,000 displaced in large-scale violence in Manipur. Despite a “civil war” like situation - where even the Supreme Court has alleged a “complete breakdown in Constitutional machinery” - the Prime Minister has not visited Manipur since the violence broke out. He has not even given an appointment to, or taken a call from, the Chief Ministers, MLAs, or any other political representatives of the state. In fact, he has barely even acknowledged the crisis, barring a three-minute speech that he delivered when forced to by the Opposition. Now that he is in the area, will he finally make a visit?" asked Jairam Ramesh on X.
Questioning the PM further on his "guarantee to tea garden workers", the Congress leader asked, "In Assam’s tea gardens, workers face challenging conditions on a daily basis. While they hoped to receive support from the Modi government, all they have received is false promises. In his 2016 Assembly Elections campaign, PM Modi had promised to increase tea garden workers’ daily wages to Rs 350. Yet, wages were increased to just Rs.250/day, that too in October 2023. The Modi Sarkar had also promised that tea garden workers (most of whom come from the Adivasi community) would be granted Scheduled Tribe status. Ten years later, the workers are still waiting. How much longer will PM Modi lie to Assam’s tea garden workers? At a time when the INC is promising Rs. 400/day minimum wage to tea garden workers, what is the BJP’s vision for them?"
"BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, have repeatedly promised to make Assam “flood-free.” Despite these promises, Assam is affected by floods every year, with 40% of the state experiencing 3-4 days of deluge. In 2022 alone, floods and landslides cost the state more than 10,000 crores in damages. The Modi Sarkar has not only failed to prevent floods, it has failed to compensate farmers for produce and property lost in the annual flooding. What happened to the promise of a flood-free Assam? Why has the Modi Sarkar failed to adequately compensate flood victims?" he further posed before PM Modi.