New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence and alleged failure to uphold “Rajdharma” in Manipur and demanded fresh elections in the strife-torn state.

The opposition party also alleged the ground situation was far from normal despite the imposition of President’s rule in Manipur.

More than 260 people have been killed, 1,500 injured and over 70,000 displaced since ethnic violence broke out between the Meteis and the Kukis on May 3, 2023.

President’s rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13 and the assembly put under suspended animation, days after N Biren Singh resigned as chief minister. The Manipur Assembly has a tenure till 2027.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Modi, by not visiting Manipur even once during this time, had failed to uphold “Rajdharma”.

In a post on X, he said Manipur was observing two years of violence without the prime minister setting foot on its soil.

“Just two days ago, 25 people were injured in a violent clash in Tamenglong district. More than 260 people have died. 68,000 people displaced and thousands are still living in relief camps,” Kharge noted.

The leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha tagged the prime minister in his post and asked three “pointed questions”.

“Since January 2022, your last election rally in Manipur, you have made 44 foreign visits around the globe and 250 domestic visits across the nation, yet you have not spent a single second in Manipur. Why this apathy and disdain for the people of Manipur? Where is the political accountability?” the Congress chief asked.

He questioned why the double-engine government failed in its constitutional duty to provide security and safety for its citizens. “Why did you not sack the chief minister earlier?”

“Your double assault government is still failing Manipur. Despite the home ministry’s rule in place now, incidents of violence haven’t stopped,” Kharge said.

He claimed the Centre passed a resolution to impose President’s rule “in a hurried manner, at 2 am midnight” to hide its “rank incompetence”.

“What happened to the peace committee announced by the home minister? Why didn’t you meet the affected people of all communities even in Delhi? Why didn’t you announce a special package for the state?” Kharge asked.

The Congress chief asserted, “Modi ji, once again, you failed upholding –Rajdharma!!”

Meanwhile, the Congress’ Manipur in-charge Saptagiri Ulaka called the violence “one of the gravest humanitarian crises in India”.

“People fear that this violence was manufactured and two years have now gone by,” he said.

He also trained his guns on the prime minister for not visiting the state.

“We have been demanding a discussion on Manipur but Modi ji did not break his silence. We had been demanding imposition of President’s rule to control the situation but it was only imposed after 20 months. The current situation on the ground is far from normal despite the imposition of President’s rule,” he said.

He added the Congress wanted the Centre to declare fresh elections so that a popular people’s government could be elected in Manipur. “The violence in the state is not ending.”

The MP from Koraput in Odisha also claimed the Centre imposed President’s rule only after the Congress announced plans to move a no-confidence motion in the assembly but Singh resigned as chief minister before it could be moved.

Describing the government’s attitude towards Manipur as callous, Ulaka said the ground reality had not changed.

The people of Manipur want the prime minister to visit the state, bring back peace, and give a human touch and return the displaced to their homes, he added.

The Congress’ Manipur unit chief Keisham Meghachandra Singh slammed the BJP as the “architect” of the violence and said the saffron party was not serious about ending it.

“There is a lack of proper use of the constitutional machinery and that is why the violence is continuing,” he said.

“We (people of Manipur) don’t have any trust left in the Narendra Modi government even after President’s rule. We demand fresh elections,” he added. “We believe if a Congress government comes to power in the state, we can bring peace.”

Singh also appealed to the people of Manipur to bring peace and said, “Force cannot bring peace and the BJP cannot bring peace.”

“When the constitutional machinery has failed, we want to have a fresh mandate,” he added.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh noted the BJP formed a government in Manipur with a massive mandate in February 2022 and, exactly two years ago on this day, sectarian violence erupted in the state.

“What began on May 3, 2023, therefore, was the self-dictated, self-directed derailment of the so-called double-engine ‘sarkar’ in the state. Three months later, the Supreme Court was compelled to declare that there had been an absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

“The anguish and suffering of Manipur continues. Political games are being played. No worthwhile reconciliation process is underway. Over 60,000 internally displaced persons continue to live in relief camps in conditions of great stress,” he added.

“Most importantly, the prime minister continues to avoid and shun Manipur. He has met with nobody from the state. He has gone all over the world but has not found the time nor the inclination nor the sensitivity to visit the troubled state and reach out to the people there,” he said.

The home minister, to whom the prime minister has outsourced management of Manipur, has proved to be a “big failure”, Ramesh alleged.

The senior Congress leader said Manipur deserved better and the people were waiting for the prime minister to reach Imphal and travel around the beautiful state and extend a healing touch — at least to the extent that he was capable.