The Congress on Monday accused the BJP of failing to contain the prolonged crisis in Manipur, alleging that the ruling party’s handling of the situation had deepened instability in the State.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge made the allegations after a meeting with senior Manipur Congress leaders to discuss the situation and preparations for the forthcoming Assembly elections. The meeting was attended by Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal, Saptagiri Ulaka, former chief minister Ibobi Singh and Congress Legislature Party leader K Meghachandra, among others.
In a post on X, Kharge accused the BJP leadership of avoiding responsibility for the deterioration in law and order. He said the people of Manipur deserved peace, stability, dignity and justice, and called for a change of government to restore peace and development.
Venugopal also criticised the BJP, claiming that public anger at the INDIA bloc rally in Delhi reflected wider anti-incumbency sentiment in BJP-ruled States, including Manipur and Uttarakhand. He said Manipur continued to suffer from ethnic tensions and cited the BJP’s defeat in both Lok Sabha constituencies in the State in the 2024 general elections.
The Congress leaders’ remarks came amid fresh unrest in Kangpokpi district, where protesters reportedly burnt tyres and blocked roads with logs and boulders on Sunday night. Police later cleared some stretches. The protests followed the recovery of the bodies of two missing youths in a hilly area of Senapati district on Sunday morning.
The report also cited more than 50 deaths and the burning of dozens of houses across Tamenglong, Noney, Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi districts since clashes between Kuki and Naga communities began in February. The wider Meitei-Kuki ethnic conflict, which erupted in May 2023, left more than 300 people dead and thousands displaced.
With Assembly elections expected early next year, the Congress has sought to make the law and order situation a key issue in its challenge to the BJP.
