New Delhi, Nov 22: The Congress on Friday slammed BJP president J P Nadda over his allegation that the opposition party was pushing a politically motivated narrative on the issue of Manipur, saying his letter to Mallikarjun Kharge is a “4D exercise — denial, distortion, distraction and defamation”.
Nadda on Friday accused the Congress of pushing an “incorrect, false and politically” motivated narrative on the issue of Manipur unrest, as he hit back at Kharge for seeking President Droupadi Murmu’s intervention and alleging the Centre’s complete failure in defusing the crisis.
In a rejoinder to Kharge, Nadda claimed the repercussions of the Congress’ “abject failure” in dealing with local issues in Manipur when it was in power are being felt even today.
Hitting back at Nadda, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “Congress President Kharge ji wrote to the President of India on Manipur. Apparently to counter that letter, the BJP President has now written to the Congress President.”
“Naddaji’s letter is, not surprisingly, full of falsehoods and is a 4D exercise – denial, distortion, distraction, and defamation,” he said in a post on X.
The people of Manipur are yearning for normalcy, peace and harmony to return to the state at the earliest, Ramesh said.
“Towards this end they are asking four simple questions: When will the PM visit the state? How much longer will the CM continue to be inflicted on the state, when a majority of MLAs are not in his support? When will a full-time Governor for the state be appointed? When will the Union Home Minister take responsibility for his abject failures in Manipur?” he said.
Manipur Congress chief K Meghachandra also slammed the BJP president, saying his letter to Kharge is full of “falsehood, distractions, distortions and diversions”.
“While our letter to the Hon’ble President of India is factually correct, true and publicly motivated to protect the life and properties of the people of Manipur and urgently to bring peace and normalcy in the state, your letter is a narrative of incorrect, false and politically motivated concoctions,” Meghachandra said.
“Manipur Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister’s bungalow, bungalows of Ministers and MLAs were first completely burnt down during BJP rule in the Centre in 2001 June in Manipur. Now, again, during the double engine government of BJP, there is a complete turmoil, lawlessness, no rule of law, unprecedented human tragedy, and burning of houses of Ministers and MLAs, and beating of Ministers and MLAs in 2023 and 2024 in Manipur,” the Manipur Congress chief said.
What has happened to Naga Peace Accord, which was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, Meghachandra asked.
“Since 3rd May, 2023, all national highways, state highways, district roads and other roads are all blocked for communities to travel freely for the last 543 days. When will your chief minister travel to a hill district by road? When will your tribal affairs minister travel to a valley district by road? Where is your development if the chief minister can’t go to hills and tribal affairs minister can’t come to valley?” he said, addressing Nadda.
“Because of the failure of your double engine government, both in the Centre and the state, the retail inflation has reached 10% in Manipur, which is the highest in the country,” he said.
Meghachandra alleged that Prime Minister Modi has “deliberately chosen not to come to Manipur” and not meet “your own chief minister, your ministers and MLAs of your own party in solving Manipur turmoil in the last 18 months”.
“The double engine government has completely failed Manipur. Both the prime minister and the Union home minister have failed to stop the ongoing violence in Manipur. The Congress has been working to bring peace and normalcy in the state,” the Manipur Congress chief asserted.
In his letter, Nadda told Kharge what is shocking is how repeated attempts are being made by the Congress party to sensationalise the situation in Manipur.
He said Kharge seemed to have forgotten that not only did his government legitimise the illegal migration of foreign militants to India, the then home minister P. Chidambaram had signed treaties with them.
Kharge had on Tuesday written to President Murmu over the deteriorating situation in Manipur and sought her immediate intervention to ensure that people of the state live peacefully in their homes with dignity.
In his two-page letter to President Murmu, Kharge had alleged that both the Union and state governments of Manipur have “completely failed” in restoring peace and normalcy in the state during the last 18 months and the people have lost confidence in them.
Kharge had said that the violence has claimed more than 300 human lives, including women, children and babies.
“I consider that it has become constitutionally imperative on the part of yourself, Hon’ble Madam, as the President of the Republic of India and the custodian of our Constitution to uphold the constitutional propriety and immediately intervene to ensure the protection of lives and properties of our own citizens in Manipur, as enshrined in the Constitution,” Kharge wrote.
More than 220 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.(PTI)
