"Why is PM refusing to visit Manipur": Congress' Jairam Ramesh after Biren Singh apologises for ongoing 'crisis'

New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh apologised for the ongoing 'crisis' in the state, which erupted since May 2023.
Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader questioned why the PM has not spoken on the Manipur issue yet.
"It has taken 19 months for the CM to say what he has said today, and it is not enough. The real issue is not what the CM says or does not say. The real issue is why, for 19 months, the PM has not spoken; he has travelled all over the country, but he has not found time to go to Manipur. The issue is not what this puppet CM says or does not say; the issue is why the PM is refusing to visit the state of Manipur and refusing to reach out to different communities of Manipur," the Congress leader said.
He further termed it as a failure of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, calling their refusal to go to Manipur an insult to the people.
"It is the failure of the PM and the man to whom he has outsourced Manipur, the Union Home Minister. The PM's continued refusal to go to Manipur is an insult to the people of Manipur," he added.
"The Prime Minister should go to Manipur and say the same thing that the CM said today. The people of Manipur are asking why the PM is neglecting us," Ramesh said.
Earlier today, apologising" for the ongoing crisis in the state in which around 200 people have died and many left their homes, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday asked people to "forget the past" and start a new life for peaceful and prosperous Manipur.
Reflecting on the crisis, the Manipur CM said, "This entire year has been very unfortunate. I feel regret, and I want to say sorry to the people of the state for what is happening till today, since last May 3.
"Many people lost their loved ones. Many people left their homes. I really feel regret. I would like to apologise," he added.
"Now, I hope after seeing the last 3-4 months' progress towards peace, I hope that with the New Year 2025, normalcy and peace will be restored in the state. I want to appeal to all the communities of the state that whatever happened has happened. We now have to forget past mistakes and have to start a new life. A peaceful Manipur, a prosperous Manipur--we should all live together," he said.
"Till now, altogether roughly 200 people have died, and around 12,247 FIRs were registered, and 625 accused were arrested, and around 5,600 arms and weapons were included, and around 35,000 ammunitions were recovered. Good progress is there in tackling the issues. The central government has provided enough security personnel and enough funds to help the displaced families and enough funds to construct new houses for the displaced persons," the Manipur CM stated.
Notably, the violence in Manipur between the Meitei and the Kuki communities erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3, 2023, following the Manipur High Court order directing the state to consider the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list.