In light of renewed violence in Manipur, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of failing to uphold “rajdharma.”

Taking to social media platform X, Kharge alleged that the BJP had a vested interest in perpetuating unrest in the border state. “The BJP is the matchstick which burnt Manipur!” he declared in his post, sharing a screengrab of a news report highlighting the ongoing violence.

Kharge criticized PM Modi’s absence from the state since January 2022, when he last visited during the BJP’s election campaign. Referring to the unrest that began on May 3, 2023, Kharge stated, “More than 600 days have passed, and satellite images now reveal that villages have been wiped out across the state.”

The Congress leader also highlighted a recent incident in Kangpokpi district where a mob attacked the superintendent of police, leaving him injured. Kharge blamed Manipur’s chief minister for the state’s deteriorating condition, calling him “incompetent and shameless.”

He further alleged that the BJP has deliberately kept the state in turmoil, citing the death of over 250 people, displacement of 60,000 residents, and the prolonged suffering of thousands living in relief camps for 20 months. “This is not governance; this is a complete failure of leadership,” Kharge asserted.