Arunachal Congress slams PM Modi’s Manipur visit as “too little, too late”

Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Bosiram Siram today launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur, terming it “too little, too late” after over two years of silence while the state was engulfed in ethnic violence, killings, and mass displacement.

Siram said the Prime Minister’s visit, coming only now under President’s Rule, exposed a preference for “politics over people and optics over accountability.” He recalled that during the peak of the May 2023 violence, when hundreds were killed and over 60,000 people forced into relief camps, Modi neither visited the state nor spoke to the people of Manipur.

The APCC President contrasted Modi’s absence with the obstruction faced by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his June 29, 2023 visit. Siram alleged that the then BJP government in Manipur deliberately stopped Gandhi’s convoy at Bishnupur, citing “security reasons,” and forced him to travel by helicopter instead of by road, restricting his interaction with victims. “While Rahul Gandhi tried to meet the displaced, the Prime Minister stayed away altogether. This is not statesmanship but political calculation,” he said.

Laying out the Congress Party’s stand, Siram demanded the immediate restoration of democracy in Manipur, arguing that the state cannot heal under prolonged President’s Rule. He urged the Union Government to prioritize peace, rehabilitation of displaced families, justice for victims, and free movement across communities to rebuild trust.

“What Manipur needs is not speeches and photo-ops but a genuine roadmap for reconciliation,” Siram stressed. He added that perpetrators of violence must be brought to justice irrespective of political links, and that the Union Government should engage all stakeholders to restore confidence between the valley and hill communities.

“Manipur needs peace, not photo-ops. Restore democracy, restore Manipur,” Siram concluded, accusing the BJP of abandoning the people of the state in their darkest hour.