Modi's visit to Manipur focussed more on PM's 'image' than ground realities: Gaurav

Congress' Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "two years late" visit to Manipur on Saturday, claiming that it was focused more on the image of the BJP leader than the ground reality.

He said Modi's visit should have been the first step towards peace in the northeastern state, when ethnic strife broke out in May 2023.

Clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities left at least 260 people dead and thousands homeless in Manipur. Opposition parties have been criticising the Prime Minister for not visiting the state.


"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," Gogoi said in a post on X.

"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, who is also the president of Assam Congress, added.

Modi, in his visit to Kuki-majority Churachandpur and state capital Imphal, a Meitei stronghold, interacted with internally displaced people in both places.

He also addressed public meetings in the two towns and announced projects worth Rs 8,500 crores for the state.