“Power of advertisements enough…”, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi slams PM Modi over ongoing Manipur violence

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday over the 8-month-long violence in conflict-hit Manipur, questioning if the government’s indulgence in self-promotion and advertisements, is enough to solve the crisis. Her jibe, evidently, juxtaposed with the recent revelations through an RTI that showed how Indian railways have spent crores of money for the installation of selfie points across the country at several railway stations, highlighting the achievements of the Modi government along with PM Modi’s cut-outs. This comes as four villagers were gunned down on Monday in the state's Thoubal district.

“Four people were killed in Manipur. Many people are injured, there is curfew in many districts. The people of Manipur have been facing murder, violence and destruction for eight months. When will this trend stop?”, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote on ‘X’. She also added that “a joint delegation of leaders of all the parties of Manipur had come to Delhi and sought time to meet the Prime Minister but till date he has not given the time.”

More than 180 people have died in Manipur since the first incident of violence on May 3, 2023. In close to 8 months more than 60,000 people have been displaced. Hitting out at the Prime Minister she urged that the government take concrete and immediate steps to solve the crisis.

“Neither did he go to Manipur, nor talked about Manipur, nor replied in Parliament, nor took any action. Is this the leadership Manipur needs, or is the power of advertisements enough to make it sound great! The government should now, without any delay, start taking concrete steps to bring stability and peace by talking to all stakeholders in Manipur, taking them into confidence”, she wrote.

At least four police commandos and a BSF jawan were injured in an attack by militants in Moreh on Tuesday morning. In the past week, there have been multiple incidents of gunfight and clashes in several districts including Moreh, Imphal East, Imphal West, and Thoubal. Curfew has been imposed once again in the valley districts of Manipur. Militants had ambushed Manipur Police commandos inside their barracks in Moreh on Saturday.