Cong MP says PM should apologise to Manipur people for their sufferings

Imphal, Sep 3 (PTI) Manipur’s Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to the people of the restive state for the sufferings they are enduring.

Akoijam also said that if Modi comes to the state this month, as reported in a section of the media, he should acknowledge the agony of the citizens.

Opposition parties have been criticising the Prime Minister for not visiting Manipur, where violence between Meitei and Kuki communities has left at least 260 people dead and thousands homeless since May 2023. The Centre has imposed President’s Rule in the state after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned in February.

"The Prime Minister should apologise to the people if he has any shame. The visit should not be a symbolic gesture but an acknowledgment of the suffering faced by the citizens," the Congress MP said.

Speculations are rife that Modi is likely to combine his visit to Mizoram this month with a trip to neighbouring Manipur. The PM is scheduled to arrive in Mizoram on September 12 and will inaugurate the Bairabi-Sairang railway line the next day.

Senior officials of the Manipur government and state BJP leaders, however, said there is no official confirmation as yet that Modi will visit the state during that time. PTI COR NN