PM Modi will 'ignore' RSS chief's statement on Manipur, says Congress MP-elect Gaurav Gogoi

“Manipur is waiting for peace for the last one year. The situation must be considered with priority,” RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat asserted at an event on Monday.

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not pay heed to Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Dr. Mohan Bhagwat's statement on the Manipur issue.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoii (PTI)

“I do not expect Prime Minister Modi to pay any attention to the words of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Prime Minister Modi will avoid Manipur, misuse law enforcement agencies, and try to bend the Indian Constitution,” Gogoi posted on X (formerly Twitter) reacting to the Sangh head's remarks from the previous day.

“Thankfully, the people have chosen the INDIA alliance to speak up on its behalf and defend the Indian Parliament and the Constitution,” the Lok Sabha MP-elect from Assam's Jorhat seat, added, referring to the Congress-party led bloc of opposition parties.

PM Modi has faced repeated criticism from the opposition for his ‘silence’ on the situation in the northeastern state, which has been witnessing clashes since May last year between the Meitei and Kuki communities. The ethnic conflict between the Meities, who are in majority in the Imphal Valley, and the Kukis, who are dominant in a few hill districts, has so far claimed over 200 lives and led to the displacement of more than 50,000 people.

The Prime Minister has also come under fire for not sacking Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, who leads the BJP government in the state.

What did Mohan Bhagwat say?

Bhagwat brought up Manipur while addressing a gathering of RSS trainees at an event in Maharashtra's Nagpur, where the organisation is headquartered.

“Manipur is waiting for peace for the last one year. There was peace there 10 years ago. It felt like gun culture had finished. But the state has suddenly seen violence. The situation must be considered with priority. There is a need to get over election rhetoric and focus on problems facing the nation,” he asserted.

The RSS is the ideological mentor of the BJP, which won a third consecutive term at the Centre by winning the recently-held Lok Sabha elections.

(With PTI inputs)