The Great Deflector!

Modi and the BJP have been deflecting attention from the Manipur issue, aided and abetted by the Godi media. There was (and is) no room for him to blame the Congress or for that matter his most favourite punching bag, Jawahar Lal Nehru. It was the BJP government in power and it was the CM N Biren Singh who mis-managed the entire Kuki Vs Meiti crisis that led to the death of over 250 people, injuries to 1,500 and confined 60,000 people to relief camps

Any form of violence in Manipur is most unfortunate. Such violence is a grave injustice not only to our ancestors but also to future generations. Hence, we must collectively advance Manipur on the path of peace and development. -PM Narendra Modi

First of all, he was not there when he was needed the most. Yes, in Manipur which has been reeling under ethnic violence since May 3,2023. Even his brief reference to the crisis just ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament on July 20,2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi a brief reference, but not without his customary index finger targeting the non-BJP run states.

“The incident of Manipur which has come to the fore is shameful for any civilisation. The country is shamed. I appeal to all chief ministers to strengthen laws to take stringent action against crime, especially against women,” he said and then pointed out:

“The incident might be from Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh or Manipur, the culprit should not go scot-free in any corner of the country.” Now, 864 days after the shameful violence, Modi found time on September 13, 2025 to visit Manipur and converted the trip into an event in the BJP’s true customary style. He had to blame the Congress even during this much-delayed visit.

“Before 2014, the growth rate of Manipur was less than 1 per cent, not even 1 per cent. Today, Manipur is advancing many times faster than before. A new era of infrastructure construction has begun in Manipur. I am glad that the pace of road construction, including National Highways, has increased manifold in Manipur.

Rapid work is also underway to connect villages across the State with roads,” he said after the cornerstone ceremony for the Rs 3,600 crore ‘Manipur Urban Roads Project’, and the Rs 500-crore Manipur Infotech Development Project.

In another event the same day, Modi announced a package for the state stating that 7,000 new houses have been approved for displaced families and the Centre has recently declared a special package of approximately Rs3,000 crore for Manipur. over Rs500 crore has been allocated specifically to assist displaced individuals.

While he was greeted with the BJP-organised meetings and the protests by the violence-hit families, Modi finally declared that he is firmly with the people of Manipur. Wasn’t it too late?

The opposition has been crying hoarse that Modi did not find time to visit the strife-torn state. They had to bring in a no-confidence motion in August 2023 against the Modi government to force him to speak on the Manipur issue.

An hour into the speech responding to the no-trust move, Modi was only blaming the opposition, the UPA government and the INDIA bloc. He devoted barely 10 minutes for Manipur in his two-hour-long speech.

The debate was a rare appearance in parliament from Modi, The Guardian reported.

Despite the cries of ‘Manipur, Manipur’ in the Lok Sabha, Modi did not say a word and after the opposition walked out, he said they did not have “patience” to listen. “I want to tell the mothers and sisters of Manipur that the country and Parliament are with you,” he said in his brief reference.

After that, Modi and the BJP have been deflecting attention from the Manipur issue, aided and abetted by the Godi media. There was (and is) no room for him to blame the Congress or for that matter his most favourite punching bag, Jawahar Lal Nehru.

It was the BJP government in power and it was the CM N Biren Singh who mis-managed the entire Kuki Vs Meiti crisis that led to the death of over 250 people, injuries to 1,500 and confined 60,000 people to relief camps.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has made two trips to Manipur. Congress president Mallikarjun legitimately questioned the Prime Minister for ignoring the Manipur crisis while the latter had all the time to make 46 foreign trips.

Now, visiting Manipur with elections in mind, Modi announced that Mount Harriet in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has been renamed as Mount Manipur.

And he tried to assuage the people with his package, packed with the criticism of the previous governments, despite his own party ruling at the Centre and the State.

Before 2014, the growth rate of Manipur was less than 1 per cent, not even 1 per cent. Today, Manipur is advancing many times faster than before. A new era of infrastructure construction has begun in Manipur, he said.

His government is consistently working to bring peace and stability to Manipur, to secure the interests of its people, and to restore normalcy for those compelled to live in camps, Modi said without showing any signs of remorse or any accountability for the crisis and the shameful injustice perpetuated on women under the BJP rule. He ought to have apologised, but the word ‘regret’ does not exist in the BJP’s dictionary.

Remember, the Supreme Court has taken a suo motu cognisance of the crisis and remarked: “We are very deeply disturbed by the videos which have emerged yesterday about the two women who were paraded in Manipur. We are expressing our deep concern. It is time the government stepped in and took action.”

Yet, the Modi government did not act despite chorus for the dismissal of the Biren Singh Government. For 864 days, it was as though the government had forgotten the existence of Manipur as the opposition said.

And now, Modi suddenly remembered Manipur as the jewel in Bharat Mata’s crown and said the State must also be part of his pet project - Viksit Bharat.

“Our Manipur is filled with limitless potential. It is our duty not to deviate even a single step from the path of development. Manipur lacks no capability; what is needed is that we continuously strengthen the path of dialogue, build a strong bridge of harmony between the hills and the valley. I am confident that Manipur will emerge as a robust centre of the nation’s growth,” he says.

Mallikarjun told Modi in a social media post: “Your 3-hour PIT STOP in Manipur is not compassion — it’s farce, tokenism, and a grave insult to a wounded people. Your so-called ROADSHOW in Imphal and Churachandpur today, is nothing but a cowardly escape from hearing the cries of people in relief camps!”

Later, Modi visited Assam and snatched the opportunity to blast the “previous governments” for encouraging infiltrators.He conveniently did not mention the fact that the international borders are guarded by the Central forces. which are supposed to check infiltrators along the 267.5 km international boundary.

He threw a challenge to the “supporters” of infiltrators. “Jo Hoga Dekha Jayega,” he said and screamed that his government will act against the infiltrators.

The next day, Modi said in Bihar that the opposition parties pose a threat not only to Bihar’s dignity but also to its area for defending infiltrators and attempting to shield them for vote-bank politics. These groups are willing to jeopardize both the resources and security of Bihar and the nation.

He declared that every infiltrator must be removed. Then, he spoke of his guarantee that action will be taken against infiltrators and the country will witness the results. He did not say a word about the ‘vote chori’ scam that the Congress claims to have unearthed and blamed the Election Commission for colluding with the BJP to “manage elections”.

Addressing the women among the crowd, he said the reduction in GST will substantially ease kitchen expenses. Items such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo, ghee, and various food products will become more affordable. Without admitting that his government’s GST burden was unaffordable, the Prime Minister claimed that when a government “truly cares for the poor”, it delivers such impactful measures. Did someone say, the art of deflection?

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based author and independent media veteran, running websites and a YouTube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging.)