NEW DELHI: BJP President J.P. Nadda has accused the Congress of propagating a politically motivated and false narrative about the unrest in Manipur.
Responding to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's letter to President Droupadi Murmu seeking intervention in the crisis, Nadda claimed that the "repercussions of the Congress's abject failure" in handling Manipur's issues during its tenure are still being felt today.
Nadda stated that the Congress's attempts to sensationalise the situation in Manipur were shocking. "What is shocking is how repeated attempts are being made by the Congress party to sensationalise the situation in Manipur," Nadda said in a statement.
In a sharp rejoinder, he alleged that the Congress, while in power, legitimised the illegal migration of foreign militants into India. "Your government legitimised the illegal migration of foreign militants to India. The then Home Minister P. Chidambaram signed treaties with them. These known militant leaders, fleeing their country to avoid arrest, were wholeheartedly endorsed and encouraged to carry on their destabilising efforts," he claimed.
Nadda argued that the Congress's failure to uphold India's security and administrative protocols was a major factor behind the current unrest.
"This complete failure of India's security and administrative protocols under your government is one of the major reasons why militant and habitually violent organisations are attempting to destroy the hard-won peace in Manipur and push it back several decades into the age of anarchy," he said.
He assured that, unlike the Congress, the BJP-led NDA government would not allow such destabilisation to occur. He emphasised that both the central and state governments were working diligently to stabilise the situation and restore harmony.
"The entire government machinery is devoted to bringing back peace and harmony to Manipur," Nadda said, adding that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was conducting probes into the violence.
The BJP leader criticised the Congress's handling of similar incidents in the early 1990s and during the UPA era, citing widespread violence and blockades.
"Kharge and his party seem to have conveniently forgotten the complete failure of government machinery and the ill-advised strategies adopted by the Congress governments during similar incidents in the early 90s and during the UPA era," Nadda remarked.
Highlighting the transformation of the North-East under the Modi government, Nadda said, "The North-East region has witnessed a complete transformation in every sector—be it economy, security, healthcare, education, or access to growth opportunities." He claimed that Manipur had seen a significant reduction in multidimensional poverty, from over 20% in 2013 to just over 5% in 2022.
Nadda accused the Congress of exploiting the North-East for political gain. "Ignoring these developments, you and your party have chosen to use the North-East and its people to rake up political mileage and peddle your nefarious agendas," he said. He also recalled the violent period under Congress rule, citing the 2011 blockade in Manipur, which lasted over 120 days and caused significant economic losses.
He further alleged that the Congress had often aligned itself with foreign forces aiming to destabilise India. "This pattern of Congress leaders endorsing and encouraging a nexus of foreign forces looking to derail India's progress is truly worrying," Nadda said.
In his letter to President Murmu, Kharge had accused the Union and Manipur state governments of failing to restore peace and normalcy in the state over the past 18 months. "The violence has claimed more than 300 human lives, including women, children, and babies," Kharge wrote, adding that nearly a lakh people had been displaced and forced to live in relief camps. "The agony continues unabated," he stated.
Nadda concluded by reminding Kharge of the Congress's "disrespectful and irresponsible manner" during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address on Manipur violence in Parliament earlier this year.