Opposition reminds Narendra Modi of Atal Bihar Vajpayee, urges PM to speak up on Manipur

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh recalls how Vajpayee had met an all-party delegation from Manipur in 2001, six days after trouble had broken out in the state and soon issued an appeal for peace

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, (right) Narendra Modi: File picture

Sanjay K. Jha, TT, New Delhi, 18.06.23: As violence rocked Manipur, the Prime Minister issued an appeal.

“I express the grief of the people of the country and my personal grief at the loss of precious innocent lives in Manipur. As someone who is fully conscious of their sentiments, emotions, problems and grievances, I appeal to the people of Manipur to maintain peace and calm,” the Prime Minister said.

“It shall be the endeavour of my government to ascertain and understand the viewpoint of the people and redress them to the best of our ability through a democratic dialogue.”

This was not Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking about the Meitei-Kuki clashes that have since May 3 devastated Manipur. This was an appeal from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on July 8, 2001, at a time Manipur was in turmoil over issues relating to its territorial integrity.

Recalling this appeal from 22 years ago, Congress comm­unications chief Jairam Ra­mesh on Saturday told Modi: “Forget Congress, erase Jawaharlal Nehru’s name from history, but remember at least the BJP Prime Minister Vajpayee and break your silence.”

When Modi was Gujarat chief minister, he was accused of similar inaction during the riots of 2002.Vajp­a­yee had at the time famously reminded him of “raj dharma”, or the duties of a ruler.

Ramesh was speaking at a news conference here along with leaders from 10 political parties from Manipur that are desperately seeking an audience with the Prime Minister.

These leaders sent an email to the Prime Minister’s Office on June 10, seeking an appointment with Modi so that they could submit a memorandum on the Manipur situation.

On June 12, they submitted a hard copy of the letter at the PMO and are now waiting for a response.

“These leaders from the Congress, JDU, CPI, CPM, Forward Bloc, TMC, NCP, AAP, Shiv Sena and the RSP are waiting in Delhi in the fond hope of getting an appointment with the Prime Minister before he leaves for the United States on June 20,” Ramesh said.

Members of the Manipur delegation at the news conference said there would be peace within 24 hours if Modi intervened.

Asked about Modi’s tendency to avoid subjects that signify a failure on his part or show him in poor light, Ramesh said: “I don’t want to get into the Prime Minister’s psychology and his personality traits; why he is silent on China, on unemployment, on the enormous hardship caused by demonetisation, on Manipur, but his clean chit to China saying ‘na koi ghusa hai…’ has hurt India. Now his silence is hurting Manipur.”

Modi had on June 19, 2020, four days after 20 Indian soldiers died in a clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh, said that no one had entered or was occupying Indian territory. His comment allowed China to deny any border transgressions and claim ownership of all the territory it held within India-claimed lines.

Ramesh added: “Modi speaks on everything under the sun. He has time to speak on yoga but not on Manipur. Of course, it reflects the failure of governance. It reflects a very perverse mindset.”

The Congress leader recalled how Vajpayee had met an all-party delegation from Manipur on June 24, 2001, six days after trouble had broken out in the state. He set up another meeting on July 8, when he issued an appeal for peace.

Three leaders in the current delegation who had met Vajpayee in 2001 revealed that the then Prime Minister had come to the meeting in a wheelchair because he had undergone knee surgery.

They said Vajpayee gave them a “patient hearing” and accepted all their demands. They expressed hope that Modi would meet them before leaving for America.

Okram Ibobi Singh, who was Manipur chief minister for 15 years, told the news conference: “The Prime Minister has not expressed anything despite Manipur burning for over 45 days. Not nice to mention these things but a question arises in the mind – is Manipur not part of India?

“The Prime Minister is not willing to write even a tweet? It is no more about politics. All we want is peace. The Centre should help us.”

Former Manipur minister Limay Chand Luwang said: “The Union home minister (Amit Shah) visited Manipur almost after a month (since the violence broke out on May 3). They were busy with the (May 10) Karnataka elections when Manipur was burning.”

Shah had visited Manipur from May 29 to June 1.

Luwang added: “Over 120 people have died, 400 are injured, 60,000 have been displaced and 5,000 homes burnt down. The Prime Minister promptly responded to a boat mishap in Kerala and announced ex-gratia help. He visited the train accident site in Odisha. But not a wordon Manipur. People are convinced there is no government in Manipur. Only the Centre has to help.”

Modi has over the past two days tweeted about yoga — ahead of World Yoga Day on June 21 — a song on millets, biodiversity, cultural heritage, and the evacuation of Indians from war-torn Ukraine. But not on Manipur.