Congress slams Nadda’s letter to Kharge, calls it a "4D exercise"

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The Congress party hit back at BJP President J P Nadda's allegations on Friday, accusing him of pushing a "politically motivated narrative" regarding the ongoing unrest in Manipur. In response to Nadda's letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress described it as a "4D exercise - denial, distortion, distraction, and defamation."

Nadda, in his letter, criticised the Congress for propagating an "incorrect" and "false" narrative about the Manipur crisis, arguing that the party was attempting to politicise the situation. His comments were aimed at Kharge, who had written to President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention on the issue and accusing the Modi government of failing to resolve the crisis.

Nadda further claimed that the roots of the current violence in Manipur could be traced back to the Congress's "abject failure" in dealing with local issues when the party was in power. He said that the repercussions of this failure were still being felt today.

Reacting to Nadda's statement, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh condemned the BJP President's letter. In a post on X, Ramesh labelled Nadda's accusations as "full of falsehoods" and reiterated that the BJP's focus was on diverting attention from the actual situation in Manipur. He described Nadda's letter as a "distraction" and a deliberate attempt to deflect from the real issues.

Ramesh pointed out that the people of Manipur are desperate for peace and stability, adding that they were raising a few simple questions. "When will the PM visit the state? How much longer will the CM continue to hold power when a majority of MLAs no longer support him? When will a full-time Governor be appointed? And when will the Union Home Minister take responsibility for his failures?" Ramesh said, reiterating the concerns of the people of Manipur.

In his letter, Nadda accused the Congress of sensationalising the situation and recalled that during the previous Congress-led government, then Home Minister P Chidambaram had signed agreements with foreign militants, which, according to Nadda, legitimised illegal migration into India.

The ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meitei community and the Kuki-Zo groups has claimed over 220 lives and displaced thousands since it erupted in May of the previous year. The Congress continues to criticise the BJP-led government for its handling of the crisis, while the BJP maintains that it is addressing the situation appropriately.

(With inputs from PTI)