‘Congress Allowed Illegal Migration Of Foreign Militants’: JP Nadda On Manipur

New Delhi:

BJP president JP Nadda on Friday accused the Congress of pushing an “incorrect, false and politically” motivated narrative on the issue of Manipur unrest, as he hit back at Mallikarjun Kharge for seeking President Droupadi Murmu’s intervention and alleging the Centre’s complete failure in defusing the crisis.

In a rejoinder to Mr Kharge, Mr Nadda said the repercussions of the Congress’s “abject failure” in dealing with local issues in Manipur when it was in power are being felt even today.

What is shocking is how repeated attempts are being made by the Congress party to sensationalise the situation in Manipur, he told Mr Kharge, asserting that the current dispensation has been working since the first incidents of violence to bring stability and peace in the state.

He said Mr Kharge seemed to have forgotten that not only did his government legitimise the illegal migration of foreign militants to India, the then home minister P Chidambaram had signed treaties with them.

These known militant leaders fleeing their country to avoid arrest were wholeheartedly endorsed and encouraged to carry on their destabilising efforts, Mr Nadda claimed.

“This complete failure of India’s security and administrative protocols under your government is one of the major reasons why militant and habitually violent organisations are attempting to destroy the hard-won peace in Manipur and push it back several decades into the age of anarchy,” he said.

Unlike the Congress, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will not allow this to happen at any cost, he added.

He said the governments at the Centre and in Manipur have been working to stabilise the situation and protect people since the initial violence.

The entire government machinery is devoted to bringing back peace and harmony to Manipur, he said, stressing the BJP’s commitment to resolving the situation quickly as probe into the incidents of violence are being carried out by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), “one of the most efficient agencies” in the country.

Mr Nadda said he felt compelled to respond to the “incorrect, false and politically motivated narrative” being pushed against the government and which Kharge’s words fail to camouflage.

Referring to the Congress president’s letter to President Murmu, he said it was “heartening” to finally see “some form of respect” from the Opposition party for the President of India after “uncountable disrespectful remarks” heaped on her by its senior leaders.

Mr Kharge and his party, he said, seemed to have conveniently forgotten the complete failure of government machinery and the “ill-advised strategies” adopted by the Congress governments both at the Centre and state during similar incidents in the early 90s and during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) era.

The northeast region has seen a complete transformation in every sector be it economy, security, healthcare, education or access to growth opportunities under the Modi government, he said.

People have endorsed its work by repeatedly putting their faith in the stability of “double engine” NDA governments over the false promises of the Congress and its allies, he said.

“From more than 10 historical peace accords to unprecedented connectivity, our governments are truly bringing the people of northeast closer,” Mr Nadda said. In Manipur alone, the percentage of people suffering from multidimensional poverty has reduced from over 20 per cent in 2013 to just over 5 per cent in 2022, he added.

“Yet, ignoring these developments, you (Mr Kharge) and your party have chosen to use the northeast and its people to rake up political mileage and peddle your nefarious agendas. I wish to remind you that under Congress rule, Manipur witnessed one of the bloodiest periods in history,” Mr Nadda said.

In addition to the black period of the 90s when thousands were killed and lakhs displaced due to rampant violence, in 2011 alone Manipur witnessed a complete blockade for more than 120 days, he said.

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Petrol and LPG prices were nearly four-times higher than the rest of the country and losses of crores of rupees were being suffered by the exchequer every day, he said. The state was marked by thousands of fake encounters, he alleged.

Mr Nadda claimed that this pattern of Congress leaders endorsing and encouraging a nexus of foreign forces looking to derail India’s progress is truly worrying.

“As a result of this failure to recognise the maleficent intentions of these individuals, your party is often seen matching them step-for-step. Whether this failure is an unfortunate blind spot resulting from the Congress’s thirst for power or part of a carefully designed strategy to divide the people and sideline our democracy, is what our nation deserves to know,” he said.

Mr Nadda reminded Mr Kharge of the “disrespectful and irresponsible manner” in which the Congress acted when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing the issue of violence in Manipur in Parliament earlier this year.

In his two-page letter to the President, Mr Kharge on Tuesday accused both the Union and the state governments of having “completely failed” in restoring peace and normalcy in Manipur during the last 18 months, seeking her intervention.

He said people have lost confidence in the government. Mr Kharge said the violence has claimed more than 300 lives, including that of women, children and babies.

“The deteriorating law and order in Manipur has internally displaced nearly a lakh people, rendering them homeless and forcing them to live in different relief camps,” he said, adding the agony continues unabated.