On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Assam, Congress publicity head Pawan Khera booked a flight ticket for him to neighbouring Manipur where ethnic strife between Meiteis and Kukis has been continuing for almost three years.
Khera posted a screenshot of the ticket on X along with photos of recent clashes between Kukis and Nagas in Ukhrul district, while obliquely underlining how Modi has largely steered clear of the restive state.
“We understand that poll-bound states are always your top priority. But Manipur should not be abandoned. The state has been burning since 2023 — and it is burning again,” Khera wrote.
“You are already in Assam today. Manipur is just an hour away. Please go there as well. The presence of the Prime Minister can go a long way in reassuring our people in Manipur.
“To make it easier for you, we have even booked your flight from Guwahati to Imphal — you just have to get on the plane.”
Khera told The Telegraph that he had booked the ticket for ₹5,000 on Air India Express, a low-cost airline.
Modi has been castigated by the Opposition for giving a wide berth to Manipur — he has visited the state just once, in September last year, since the bloody clashes broke out on May 3, 2023.
Khera later posted on X: “Even @AirIndiaX knew that the PM would not travel to Manipur. So, the ticket that I had booked — as a well-intentioned gift for the people of Manipur — was quietly cancelled, without my knowledge."
“It seems to be common wisdom now that the only thing that can compel the PM to visit a northeastern state is an upcoming election. That explains his presence in Assam today — and also his continued absence from Manipur, despite it being in turmoil. ‘PM CARES’? Sorry folks, evidently not.”
Elections in Manipur are about a year away.
Air India Express responded to Khera on X, saying: “Dear Mr. Khera, IX 1037 operated on time as per schedule today. The booking was cancelled voluntarily via the self-service option on our website.”
The violence has killed more than 260 people, displaced over 60,000 and created separate Meitei and Kuki zones in Manipur, their de facto boundaries guarded by central forces.
Nemcha Kipgen, a Kuki MLA, was sworn in as deputy chief minister in Delhi when a new government was recently formed in Manipur following the lifting of President’s rule. She couldn’t travel to the Meitei-dominated state capital, Imphal, for the ceremony.
The Kuki-Naga clashes began in Ukhrul over a local dispute that has led to the torching of several homes. The Nagas have largely stayed neutral in the Meitei-Kuki conflict.
