BJP, Congress in letter war over President's intervention in Manipur crisis

A fresh political battle has erupted between BJP and Congress as Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention in Manipur violence

A new political clash erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress on Friday following a letter by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, urging President Droupadi Murmu to intervene in the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur. 

Kharge accused the Centre and the Manipur state government of "complete failure" in addressing the issue.

Manipur violence: Congress accuses BJP of failure in handling crisis

In his two-page letter to President Murmu, dated Thursday (Nov 23), Kharge expressed his concerns over the deteriorating situation in Manipur, where ethnic violence between the Meiteis of Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo groups of the tribal hills has been ongoing since May 2023.

 

 

He said that public trust in both the Centre and the state government had collapsed and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “refusal” to visit the violence-hit state, calling it “beyond anybody’s understanding”.

 

Kharge wrote, “I and my party strongly believe that the deliberate acts of omission and commission, as indeed inordinate inaction on the part of both the central and state governments, have resulted in complete lawlessness, absence of rule of law, violations of human rights, compromise of national security and suppression of fundamental rights of citizens of our country.”

 

The Congress president also pointed to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s visits to the state and his own visit during the past 18 months as efforts to bring attention to the situation in Manipur.

Manipur crisis: BJP Congress for long-term problems

In response, BJP national president JP Nadda accused the Congress for pushing an “incorrect, false and politically motivated” narrative. Nadda further criticised the Congress for its "complete failure and ill-advised strategies" during previous administrations in dealing with similar issues in Manipur, whose repercussions are still being felt today.

 

Nadda reminded Kharge that his party’s previous government had allowed the “illegal migration of foreign militants” into India, with then-Home Minister P Chidambaram signing treaties with these militants. “These known militant leaders fleeing their country to avoid arrest were wholeheartedly endorsed and encouraged to carry on their destabilising efforts," he said.

 

He claimed that this failure in national security and administrative protocols under the Congress government played a major role in the current instability in Manipur. Nadda stressed that the BJP-led NDA government would not allow this situation to escalate any further, emphasising the Centre’s ongoing efforts to stabilise the region.

Congress hits back, accuses BJP of misleading the public

The war of words intensified as Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh accused Nadda of spreading falsehoods in his letter. Ramesh described the letter as a “4D exercise” — denial, distortion, distraction, and defamation.

 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ramesh said that the people of Manipur, who are longing for peace, have been asking four key 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?" Ramesh said.

.@INCIndia 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,…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 22, 2024

Escalating violence in Manipur

This battle comes amid rising tensions in Manipur, where a recent wave of violence has erupted following the brutal killing of a woman from the Hmar community in Jiribam district on November 7. Between November 7 and 18, at least 20 people were killed in 16 separate incidents. 

In response, the Centre has increased its security presence in the region, deploying 50 companies of Central Armed Police Forces, totalling over 5,000 personnel, to restore order and protect citizens.