PM has energy for foreign trips, can he not summon 'empathy' for visiting Manipur: Congress
The Opposition party also said this is Mr. Modi's 35th trip abroad since May 2023, and it was "pathetic of the PM to treat Manipur in this awful manner".
"The Prime Minister leaves for Cyprus, Canada, and Croatia this morning. There was a time when he boasted about his knowledge of algebra by spouting the (a+b)^2 equation as applicable to India and Canada. But things went horribly wrong thereafter," Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
Also Read | 'PM Modi continues to shun Manipur; Amit Shah a big failure,' says Congress on 2nd anniversary of ethnic conflict
"When it appeared that Canada was dragging its feet on the invite to India, Mr. Modi's drum beaters proclaimed that he would not go even if invited. But like always, he stands exposed," Mr. Ramesh claimed.
The Canadian Prime Minister has said that India has been invited to the G7 Summit along with a number of other non-G7 countries because India is the fifth largest economy in the world, Ramesh pointed out.
"Perhaps Mr. Modi can remind him that according to the Niti Aayog CEO, India became the world's third largest economy on May 24, 2025," the Congress leader said.
"This is Mr. Modi's 35th trip abroad since May 2023. He has all the energy, excitement, and enthusiasm--the 3 Es-- for such visits. But can he not summon up a 4th E--empathy-- for going to Manipur where the people's distress, agony and suffering continues unabated?" Mr. Ramesh said.
"He has met with NOBODY from the state, let alone political leaders, since May 3, 2023. Pathetic of the PM to treat Manipur in this awful manner," Mr. Ramesh added.
The Congress leader also shared a video clip of the PM from 2015 in which he is heard giving a mathematical analogy to demonstrate the relationship between the two countries.
The Congress has been attacking the Prime Minister for not visiting Manipur, besides slamming the Centre for its handling of the situation in the ethnic strife-torn northeastern state.
More than 220 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023.
Prime Minister Modi on Sunday morning embarked on a three-nation tour during which he will take part in the G7 Summit in Canada, and visit Cyprus and Croatia to shore up India's bilateral cooperation with these two countries.
Modi will first be in Cyprus at the invitation of the country's president, Nikos Christodoulides.
In the second leg of his visit, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Kananaskis in Canada on June 16-17 to participate in the G7 Summit at the invitation of Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney.
In the final leg of his tour, Modi will undertake an official visit to Croatia on June 18 at the invitation of the prime minister of the European country, Andrej Plenkovic.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Amid impasse over India deal, Trump says tariff letters for 12 nations signed
Amid uncertainty over whether India and the US will sign an interim trade deal before July 9, American President Donald Trump has said that the US has begun the process of informing countries of the reciprocal tariffs they must pay, and that he has already signed 12 letters scheduled to be dispatched on Monday. However, Trump had stated that the reciprocal tariffs would come into effect on August 1, indicating a potential extended window for negotiations with countries, including possibly India, which have not struck a deal with the US before the July 9 deadline. The US had originally announced a 26 per cent reciprocal tariff on India. A government official told The Indian Express that agriculture has been a major sticking point in negotiations, particularly because India has adopted an unwavering stance on this sector. However, India has shown willingness to reduce duties across a broad range of tariff lines. Traditionally, India has been defensive in trade pacts concerning agriculture. 'I signed some letters and they'll go out on Monday, probably 12. Different amounts of money, different rates of tariff,' Trump told reporters on July 4, adding that the names of the countries to receive the letters would only be revealed on Monday. This comes as Indian negotiators, led by Chief Negotiator and Special Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal, returned on Friday after nearly a week of talks with the US. A government official indicated that the likely interim deal will involve only goods, as services and labour issues are not currently part of the negotiations. While India is seeking greater market access for its textiles, leather and footwear, the US is pushing for access to India's agricultural and dairy markets—a major hurdle, since Indian farmers often operate on small land parcels with limited technological support. In contrast, the US has demanded India to drop GM regulation. Notably, there is significant resistance to genetically modified (GM) crops in India. Only one GM crop—Bt cotton—is approved for cultivation. No GM food crop is commercially grown, although experimental trials continue. However, imports of GM soybean oil and canola oil are permitted. A 2013 report by the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) emphasised that many studies deeming GM foods safe were industry-funded and that long‑term, independent studies were lacking. 'Environmental studies have shown that widespread use of Bt crops can lead to pest resistance, such as in the pink bollworm, and pose risks to non‑target species such as monarch butterflies, as suggested in a 1999 Nature study. Additionally, the overuse of glyphosate with herbicide-tolerant GM crops has led to 'superweeds' and increased herbicide use,' the New Delhi‑based think tank GTRI said. GTRI further said that GM and non‑GM crops may intermingle at various stages of the supply chain—during transport, storage or processing. 'Once GM material enters, there is a high risk it could leak into local farming systems or processed food chains, posing risks to food safety, environmental integrity, and India's export reputation—especially in GM‑sensitive markets such as the EU,' the think tank warned. The think tank added that the import of GM products, like animal feed, could negatively affect India's agricultural exports to the European Union, which enforces strict GM labelling rules and faces strong consumer opposition to GM‑linked products. Although GM feed is permitted, many European buyers prefer fully GM‑free supply chains. India's fragmented agri‑logistics and lack of segregation infrastructure increase the likelihood of cross‑contamination and trace GM presence in export consignments. This could result in shipment rejections, higher testing costs, and erosion of India's GM‑free image—particularly in sectors like rice, tea, honey, spices and organic foods, GTRI said. Ravi Dutta Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, covering policy issues related to trade, commerce, and banking. He has over five years of experience and has previously worked with Mint, CNBC-TV18, and other news outlets. ... Read More
Indian Express
19 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Trump to begin talks with China over TikTok deal, says it's ‘good for China'
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he plans to begin talks with China early next week about a potential deal involving the video app TikTok, the social media app with 170 million users in the US. 'I think we're gonna start Monday or Tuesday… talking to China, perhaps President Xi or one of his representatives, but we pretty much have a deal,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. The president said the US will likely need China's approval for the deal. Asked how confident he was that Beijing would agree to a deal, 'I'm not confident, but I think so,' he said. 'President Xi and I have a great relationship, and I think it's good for them. I think the deal is good for China and it's good for us.' Trump also said he might visit Xi Jinping in China or the Chinese leader may visit the US. This comes after the two leaders last month invited each other to visit their respective countries. Last month, Trump extended a deadline to September 17 for TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest its US assets. A deal to spin off TikTok's US operations into a separate, majority US-owned company had been in progress earlier this year. But the plan was stalled after China signaled disapproval following Trump's announcement of new tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump's extension in June marked the third time he has delayed the ban or forced sale of TikTok, granting ByteDance another 90 days to find a US buyer or face a ban. Trump first intervened on his first day back in office, issuing an executive order just three days after the Supreme Court upheld the TikTok ban. A second order followed in April, setting a deadline of June 19. With the latest extension, TikTok now has until September to reach a deal. In a statement released the same day, TikTok expressed appreciation for the administration's approach. 'We are grateful for President Trump's leadership,' the company said, adding that it would 'continue to work with Vice President Vance's office' to reach an agreement. (With Inputs from Reuters)
The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Ramachander Rao takes charge as BJP Telangana chief, vows to win local body elections
Senior leader and former MLC N. Ramachander Rao has assumed office as Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Telangana unit president at the party's State headquarters in Hyderabad on Saturday (July 5, 2025). He claimed that the people of the State are looking towards the party as they were disappointed with the ruling Congress. Addressing the media after formally taking charge, Mr. Rao said that his top priorities include ensuring the party wins a majority of seats in the upcoming local body elections and strengthening the party from the grassroots level with a focus on improving its rural base. 'In a brief span of time, the Congress has earned substantial opposition from the public due to its non-implementation of the six guarantees and 420 promises,' he claimed, adding that not a single promise made in the 2023 [Assembly] election manifesto was fully met by the Congress government. Accusing the Congress of deceiving the people, he urged party activists to wage a 'righteous war' (Dharma Yuddham) against the ruling Congress rule in the State and strive to ensure the BJP attains power in the next general elections. He also wrote a letter to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, stressing the need to fulfill poll promises. Referring to All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge's allegations against the Modi government, made at the 'Social Justice Samara Bheri' meeting held at L.B. Stadium on Friday (July 4, 2025), Mr. Rao slammed Mr. Kharge, stating that it was the Congress party that had governed the nation for about 55 years and ruined it. 'Instead of addressing the BC issues, Kharge used the meeting just to make allegations against the Modi government,' he said. Mr. Rao also suspected the sincerity of the State government in implementing the 42% reservation. 'The Congress government would have consulted legal experts before passing the bills for BC reservations if it was really committed to the welfare and advancement of the BCs,' he said, citing legal issues. He also referred to the AICC as the 'All India Cheating Congress'. Rejecting the Congress's claims that the party would retain power by winning 100 MLA seats in the next elections, Mr. Rao said, 'It is not the Congress, but the BJP that will win 100 MLAs and attain power in the state.' Earlier, Mr. Rao offered special prayers at the Bhagyalakshmi temple near Charminar and later paid floral tributes at the Telangana Martyrs Memorial at Gun Park before reaching the party's state office in a rally.
