Jairam Ramesh slams PM Modi’s silence on Manipur icon Ratan Thiyam’s death

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not offering condolences on the passing of acclaimed theatre legend Ratan Thiyam, who died in Imphal on July 23. 

Calling it “insensitive and insulting to the people of Manipur,” Ramesh criticised the Prime Minister’s silence as yet another example of his indifference toward the northeastern state.

“Ratan Thiyam, one of India’s greatest cultural icons, passed away quietly in Imphal. All of Manipur has mourned him. But the PM hasn’t even acknowledged his demise, not even through a single post on X. This is not only a shocking act of insensitivity, but a grave insult to the people of Manipur,” Ramesh posted on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Thiyam, a celebrated playwright and director, was the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987 and was revered not just in India but globally for his work in Manipuri theatre.

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Ramesh also took the opportunity to point out PM Modi’s continuing absence from Manipur, stating that since violence erupted in May 2023, the Prime Minister has neither visited the state nor met with its leaders or civil society representatives. “The agony of the people is real, yet the PM has shown no inclination to visit or even speak,” said Ramesh.

Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha on Friday approved a statutory resolution moved by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to extend President’s Rule in Manipur till February 13, 2026. The extension follows the continuing political vacuum in the state since former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned on February 13 this year.

As per reports, a bloc of 28 BJP MLAs are currently in New Delhi pushing for the reinstatement of Singh or an alternative BJP-led government. Earlier this month, 20 BJP legislators from Manipur met party chief J.P. Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging swift political resolution in the state.

Manipur remains under President’s Rule as the ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities, which first erupted in May 2023, shows few signs of complete resolution.