NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on the Manipur violence even 15 days after it erupted.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said while every activity in Manipur has been affected and internet banned, Union Home Minister Amit Shah or any other cabinet minister is yet to visit the violence-hit northeastern state.
"15 days since the horrific violence erupted in Manipur and internet was banned. Yesterday, the ban was extended for another 5 days."
"Banking, e-commerce, payments of e-bills, e-tickets, businesses, work from home, education, and many other essential services have come to a grinding halt," he said on Twitter.
"Meanwhile, Not a single word issued by Prime Minister appealing for peace. Not a single visit by the Union Home Minister or any other Cabinet Minister to the state," Ramesh said.
Clashes broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' in all its 10 districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley.
Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
The ethnic clashes claimed more than 70 lives and some 10,000 army and paramilitary personnel had to be deployed to bring back normalcy in the northeastern state.