‘Na Manipur ek hai, na safe hai’: Congress chief's jibe at PM as fresh violence erupts

Mallikarjun Kharge reacted to new violence in Manipur after six bodies, missing from a Jiribam relief camp, were found in the Barak river on Saturday.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that under his “double-engine governments, Manipur is neither united nor safe.”

People protest after bodies of six people from the Meitei community were found days after they were taken hostage by suspected Kuki insurgents from Manipur's Jiribam district. (PTI Photo)(PTI)

Kharge's statement followed fresh violence in Manipur, where the bodies of six people missing from a relief camp in Jiribam were recovered on Saturday.
“.@narendramodi ji, Under your double engine governments, “ना Manipur एक है, ना Manipur Safe है” Since May 2023, it is undergoing unimaginable pain, division and simmering violence, which has destroyed the future of its people,” teh Congress chief wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The Congress leader accused the BJP of exploiting Manipur's unrest for political gains, citing escalating violence and regional tensions.

Read: Revoke AFSPA: Manipur's appeal as violence flares up, CM's house targeted

“We are saying it with utmost responsibility that it looks that the BJP deliberately wants Manipur to burn, for it serves its hateful divisive politics. At least 17 people have lost their lives since November 7. New districts are being added to the list of strife-torn regions and the fire is spilling over to bordering NE states,” Kharge said.

“You have failed Manipur — a beautiful border state. Even if you visit Manipur in future, people of the state will never forgive or forget that you left them to fend for themselves, and never set foot in their state to heal their miseries and find a solution,” he added.

Tensions persist in Manipur's Imphal Valley, where an indefinite curfew and internet suspension have been enforced following violent protests over the discovery of six bodies—three women and three children—allegedly abducted and killed by militants in Jiribam.

Six people reported missing from a displaced persons’ camp in Jiribam after a gunfight between militants and security forces were found dead. The bodies, including two women and three children, were recovered from the Barak River on Friday and Saturday.

In Imphal, violent protests erupted over the incident, with demonstrators targeting the residences of three state ministers and six MLAs. The state capital remains tense, with debris from the unrest still scattered across its roads.