He's 'trying to save his job': Cong on Rajnath allegations that opposition party doing politics over Manipur situation

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not visit the violence-hit state and why the chief minister is still holding his post despite failing to restore peace.

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, saying he is "trying to save his job" after he accused the opposition party of indulging in politics over the situation in Manipur.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not visit the violence-hit state and why the chief minister is still holding his post despite failing to restore peace.

"We all know the Defence Minister's compulsions to say things he doesn't mean so that he can save his job. The two most relevant questions are: Why didn't the PM go to Manipur and why hasn't he gone till now? Why is the CM of Manipur still holding the post despite repeated failures to restore peace," Ramesh said in a post on X.

Singh made a fervent appeal to the warring Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur to sit together and have a heart-to-heart conversation to end the trust deficit between the two sides. Addressing a poll rally in Tipa, the southern-most part of Mizoram bordering Myanmar, Singh also accused the Congress of trying to exploit the situation in Manipur for political gain.

"When the situation in Manipur was deteriorating, Congress tried its best to do politics over it," he alleged. "There is a need to keep the entire country, including Mizoram and Northeast, away from the negative politics of Congress," Singh added. Manipur had been witnessing large-scale violence in the last few months because of hostilities between the Meitei and Kuki communities. More than 180 people have lost their lives since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3.