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‘Shutting the stable door…’: Congress jibe at BJP over Manipur CM Biren Singh’s resignation
Mallikarjun Kharge said PM Modi forgot Manipur is part of India, adding, “It’s time he rejigs his memory and locates Manipur on the map of India!”
The Congress on Sunday termed N Biren Singh's resignation as “belated” and took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “frequent-flier,” saying he should visit Manipur.
The Opposition's attack came soon after Singh submitted his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge likened Singh's resignation to “shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.”
He also held Modi responsible for the “disdain and apathy” towards the strife-torn state.
“It is painful to say that for 21 months, the BJP ignited a fire in Manipur and left the people across communities to fend for themselves,” Kharge said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“Their rank incompetence and utter disregard for Rajdharma resulted in at least 258 people having died, more than 5,600 arms and 6.5 lakh rounds of ammunition were looted from police armouries, more than 60,000 people displaced and thousands still forced to live in relief camps,” the Congress president said.
Slamming the prime minister further, Kharge said Modi had forgotten that Manipur was a part of India. He said, “It is high time he rejigs his memory and locates the state of Manipur on the map of India!”
“Modi ji has not stepped on Manipur's soil since his last election campaign in January 2022, although he had time to visit several foreign countries in between. Now that the chief minister has belatedly resigned, we hope and urge him to visit Manipur and hear the stories of horror from the people,” the Congress chief added.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said that Singh was forced to resign due to mounting public pressure, the Supreme Court's intervention, and his party's plan to move a no-confidence motion in the assembly.
“For nearly two years, the BJP's Chief Minister Biren Singh instigated division in Manipur. Prime Minister Modi allowed him to continue despite the violence, loss of life, and the destruction of the idea of India in Manipur,” said Rahul Gandhi on X.
“The resignation of Chief Minister Biren Singh shows that mounting public pressure, the SC investigation and the no-confidence motion by the Congress have forced a reckoning,” he added.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the party had been demanding Singh's resignation since May 2023, and he finally sensed the situation and resigned.
“Sensing the climate, the Manipur chief minister has just resigned. This was a demand that the Congress has been making since early May 2023, when Manipur erupted,” he said in a post on X.
“The chief minister's resignation was belated. The people of Manipur now await a visit by our frequent-flier prime minister who is off to France and the US now -- and who has found neither the time nor the inclination to go to Manipur these past 20 months,” Ramesh said.
