Congress, MPP, and displaced students staged protests near Modi’s venue in Imphal, calling the trip a political stunt that ignored people’s suffering.
BY PC Bureau
September 14, 2025: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much-anticipated visit to Manipur on Saturday has reopened the wounds of last year’s ethnic violence, with stakeholders across political and community lines dismissing it as “too little, too late.” Many accused the Prime Minister of turning a blind eye to the suffering of victims and failing to address the core issues of justice, accountability, and reconciliation.
The memories of May 3, 2023 — when women were raped and paraded naked, men were butchered and beheaded, homes reduced to ashes, and children burnt alive — continue to haunt the state. Two years on, survivors still await closure. The Prime Minister’s brief three-hour stopover, with its emphasis on inaugurations and symbolic gestures, has been widely criticised for sidestepping the demands for truth and justice.
Anger Across the Divide
The outpouring of anger has been remarkable in its breadth, cutting across hills and valley, civil society groups, and political parties. The Congress Party denounced the visit as an “insult” to the people, while ten Kuki legislators — seven from the BJP, two from the Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA), and one Independent — submitted a joint memorandum demanding early dialogue on the creation of a Union Territory.
In their memorandum, the MLAs wrote: “You are fully aware of how our people have been totally cleansed from the valley areas of Manipur, shamed, assaulted, raped, and ravaged, physically as well as mentally. It is an unprecedented ethnic persecution, with state complicity.”
BREAKING NEWS
Students of Manipur University protested against PM Modi’s visit and raised slogans of “Go Back Modi” .pic.twitter.com/q4026UsZvJ
— Surbhi (@SurrbhiM) September 13, 2025
Declaring that coexistence with the Meitei community under one administration was “no longer possible,” they demanded a separate Union Territory with legislature to guarantee lasting peace and security.
READ: Manipur: Where Ashes Still Smolder, Did the PM Offer Light or Shadow?
BJP MLA Paolienlal Haokip criticised the Prime Minister’s visit as “a waste of public resources.” He accused Modi of reducing the trip to optics: “Not even ten minutes were spared to listen to our woes—not even from party MLAs.”
Imphal Protest
Youth wings of the Congress and the Manipur Peoples’ Party (MPP) staged demonstrations close to the PM’s programme venue in Imphal. Holding placards and shouting slogans, MPP Youth Front workers gathered outside their office near Kangla Fort, where Modi inaugurated several development projects and addressed a rally. Congress youth activists mounted a similar protest outside the Congress Bhavan, barely 100 metres from the venue.
Police prevented protesters from moving towards the PM’s programme site.
Demonstrations were also reported on the Manipur University campus, where displaced students rallied against Modi’s visit. Women’s groups in Khangabok, Leishangthem, and Thoubal Haokha joined the chorus of dissent, staging roadside protests to reject the PM’s Manipur foray.
Kuki-Zo Council’s Call for Separation
The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) too submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister, reiterating its long-standing demand for separation under Article 239A of the Constitution. Calling the visit a “historic occasion” — the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Lamka in nearly four decades — the KZC highlighted the staggering toll of the conflict: over 250 lives lost, 360 churches destroyed, 7,000 homes burnt, and more than 40,000 displaced.
“The reality is that the Kuki-Zo people have been forcibly separated by the aggression of the majority community,” the Council wrote, adding that separation was a matter of survival, not convenience. The memorandum reminded the PM of the September 4 agreement signed with the Government of India, calling for a time-bound political settlement.
Committee on Tribal Unity Resolution
Hours after Modi’s departure, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) in Kangpokpi passed a resolution reaffirming its unwavering demand for Union Territory status. The resolution, adopted in a public meeting, pledged that no compromise would be made without consultation with the people, and warned against any “two-faced” settlement that diluted the community’s aspirations.
Opposition’s Disappointment
Former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh dismissed the visit as “meaningless,” accusing Modi of inaugurating projects that were largely completed during the Congress regime. He said the Prime Minister failed to present a roadmap for peace, resettlement of displaced families, or revival of Manipur’s economy, which he likened to “a patient in the ICU.”
Congress MP Dr. Bimol Akoijam went further, calling the visit “an insult to the people of Manipur.” He said the PM deliberately avoided mentioning the ongoing conflict and offered no concrete measures to restore peace or provide relief.
A Visit That Raised More Questions
Though the Prime Minister spoke of reconciliation and development, his silence on justice and accountability has left many in Manipur feeling betrayed. For survivors still languishing in relief camps, and for a state divided by violence, the visit has done little to bridge the chasm between optics and healing.
