As the nation anxiously awaited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to the appalling ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur on 3 May, he finally chose to break his silence on Thursday, just before the start of the monsoon session of the parliament. This decision came in the wake of a distressing viral video showing two reportedly Kuki-Zo women being paraded naked by a mob that sparked nationwide outrage.
Though many hoped for a comprehensive address from the Prime Minister on the Manipur issue, his approximately eight-minute speech made reference to Manipur after the sixth minute wherein he said that the incident had brought shame upon 1.4 crore Indians. The Prime Minister also deliberately avoided addressing the specific “ethnic-clashes” and the growing public discontent against the BJP Chief Minister Biren Singh in Manipur, thereby indicating that he overlooked the failings of Singh’s government.
In fact, the Prime Minister sought to downplay the two months of ethnic violence in Manipur by mentioning similar barbaric atrocities occurring in Congress-ruled states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. He portrayed the horrific incidents in Manipur as a “law and order” problem, emphasizing that justice must not be sought through vigilante means, and promised that the culprits would be punished.
However, what the Prime Minister failed to grasp was that the public had been waiting for 79 days for his intervention in Manipur, hoping he would offer a solution to the escalating violence and animosity. People expected him to address the deep-rooted ethnic divide and the ongoing cycle of hatred and killings, which continue to haunt the lives of those affected by the unprecedented crisis. Instead, PM Modi chose to generalize the crisis as a “crime against women and daughters” and a “law and order situation.”
Therefore, why did the Prime Minister choose to speak up? Could it be his awareness of how the Nirbhaya incident in 2012 which witnessed a similar nationwide outrage almost brought down the then Congress-led UPA government? As one of India’s top politicians, he understands the potential consequences of leaving such sensitive issues unattended.
At the end of the day, although the Prime Minister spoke, it was too little, too less and too late. It only raises questions about whether the PM Modi-led NDA government lacks a clear strategy for handling the Manipur crisis or if its actions are primarily driven by political considerations and maintaining the BJP vote base. After all, for many of Modi’s supporters, his address finally acknowledging the Manipur issue may be seen as a positive step.