NEW DELHI: Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his foreign tour, Congress on Saturday said the “frequent flyer PM” is off to Kuwait while avoiding Manipur, which is marred by ethnic violence for over a year. PM Modi set out on a two-day visit to Kuwait today to boost ties in a host of areas including defence and trade.
Taking to X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “Such is their fate, As Mr. Modi refuses to find a date, The people of Manipur continue to wait, While the Frequent Flyer PM is off to Kuwait.”
The Congress has repeatedly urged Modi to visit Manipur and when the Prime Minister is on a foreign trip, Congress has latched on to it to hit out at the government and PM for not paying a visit to Manipur. Recently, as PM Modi in November set out for a three nation tour Brazil, Nigeria and Guyana, Congress called it a “periodic foreign jaunt”.
“For next 3 days, we will be spared the non-biological PM’s lie-surplus, dignity-deficit election campaign. He is off on his periodic foreign jaunt, where he will attempt to score domestic political points rather than engage in any pretence of statesmanship,” Ramesh had said.
Meanwhile, PM Modi in his departure statement said that India and the Gulf nation have shared interest in peace, security and stability of the West Asian region. This marks the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the Gulf nation in 43 years. The trip comes just two weeks after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and amidst the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza.
“We deeply value the historical connection with Kuwait that has been nurtured over generations. We are not just strong trade and energy partners but also have shared interest in peace, security, stability and prosperity in the West Asia region,” Modi said.
Ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 of the previous year following a tribal solidarity march in the state’s hill districts. The march was organised to oppose the demand of the majority Meitei community for Scheduled Tribe status. Since then, over 220 individuals, including members of the Meitei and Kuki communities as well as security personnel, have lost their lives in the unrest.