PM Modi’s Manipur visit ‘two years too late, tone deaf’: Gaurav Gogoi

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur, calling it “two years too late” and dismissing it as an exercise in optics rather than a genuine outreach to a state scarred by violence.

“The first step on the journey to peace and healing in Manipur should have been Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the state two years ago. Now two years late, his visit should primarily be about respecting the sentiments of the Northeast. Instead, the optics are tone deaf and concentrated on the image of the Prime Minister rather than the ground reality,” Gogoi said in a statement.

The Congress leader argued that the people of Manipur have endured unprecedented suffering and displacement while waiting for the Centre’s intervention, and that Modi’s belated visit falls short of addressing their expectations.

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Gogoi’s remarks come as the Prime Minister undertakes his first official visit to Manipur since ethnic violence broke out in May 2023, where he announced housing schemes, aid packages, and appealed for peace in Churachandpur.

Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Manipur a "pit stop", the Congress on Saturday alleged that the trip is "tokenism" and a "grave insult" to the people of the state.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused Modi of organising a grand welcome ceremony for himself and claimed that it "is a cruel prick" to the wounds of those still suffering.

"In the words of your own... Where is your Rajdharma?" Kharge asked on X just before Modi's Manipur visit.