Manipur has seen a series of violent incidents since early May, leading to loss of over a hundred lives and property worth lakhs and tens of thousands displaced, PM Modi has not spoken a single word about the issue. Despite pleas and even taunts he has ignored both the people and the state.

Things have deteriorated to the extent that reports of armed civilian mobs belonging to Meiri and Kuki communities appear to be ruling the streets of Manipur, and hence, the PM’s continued silence on a state governed by his own party, the BJP, is being questioned by political opponents, civil society groups and locals.

Social media posts show that people’s anger with Modi’s studied silence and the state chief minister N. Biren Singh’s inability to control the law and order situation has manifested in posters decrying the PM as ‘missing’. In places, radio sets were broken as Modi’s programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ aired.

According to local news reports, two sets of BJP MLAs from Manipur have been camping in New Delhi since June 15 to meet the PM.

An Imphal Free Press report said at least nine Meitei BJP MLAs opposed to the Biren-led government over its handling of law and order in the state (the CM is also the home minister), sought an appointment with Modi on June 15. They received an acknowledgement on the same day, the report said.

“But, as the PM is leaving on June 20 for an international tour, in the larger interest of Manipur, the delegation submitted the (a) memorandum (to the Prime Minister’s Office) on Monday (June 19),” it said.

The MLAs included Karam Shyam Singh, Th. Radheshyam Singh, Nishikant Singh Sapam, Kh. Raghumani, P. Brojen, Wangjing Tentha, T. Robindro, S. Rajen, S. Kebi Devi, Naoriya Pakhnaglakpa and Y. Radeshyam.

Their memorandum has highlighted “the complete breakdown of law and order in the state, loss of faith by the public in the present state government and restoration of the rule of law so that the trust and confidence of the general public is restored”, it also pressed the government to not tamper “at any cost” with the integrity of the state and agree to the Kuki leaders’ demand for a separate administration of their areas.

Also, another set of BJP MLAs had also sought an appointment with the PM but were able to get a meeting instead with defence minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the party’s in-charge for the state, Sambit Patra.

Incidentally, this delegation too comprised of Meitei MLAs of the party besides including one MLA each from Janata Dal (United) and the BJP ally National People’s Party (NPP). One of the important appeals of this delegation too was to not consider a separate administration for the Kukis.

An Indian Express report quoting a delegation member said, “Sambit Patra spoke to home minister Amit Shah over the phone…the home minister has reiterated and assured [us] that the territorial integrity of the state will be maintained.”

This delegation, which also had MLAs that support the chief minister, sought the Modi government’s withdrawal from the tripartite talks with the Kuki armed groups under suspension of operation (SoO). Weeks before the Meitei-Kuki conflict broke out in Manipur, the Biren Singh government had unilaterally withdrawn from the peace talks and recommended the same to the Union home ministry. The latter refused to entertain the request.

One significant query that this delegation raised with the party’s Union ministers was about Kuki armed group UKLF chief S.S. Haokip’s claim. Haokip has said that the group had helped the BJP grab power in the state by winning the elections. This is a serious claim that has been ignored by the union government.

“This has been in conversation in Manipur and needed to be clarified,” an MLA told Indian Express, adding that, “They (the Union ministers) assured us that there is no such tactical understanding or arrangement between the party and SoO groups and that a clarification will be issued by the party in a day or two.”

In response to the Prime Minister not taking out time even for his own party’s MLAs coming from a violence-hit Manipur, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “Today, one group of BJP MLAs from Manipur met the Raksha Mantri. Today, another group of BJP MLAs from Manipur went to submit a memorandum to the PM, which said that the people had completely lost faith in the state administration – essentially saying the CM has to be replaced. He did not see them of course. The BJP itself in Manipur is not united. That is why the state is bitterly divided today. And the PM simply doesn’t care!”

Aside from the BJP delegations, a Congress delegation led by former state chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh has also been camping in New Delhi for days now to have an audience with the prime minister. The PMO has not even thought it fit to give a response,

Functioning in parallel and ignoring the plight of all Manipuris, the PM has flown out of the country today for a four-day visit to the United States and Egypt. In the US, he is scheduled to meet not only the American president Joe Biden and top names from his government but also about two dozen “thought leaders” and CEOs including Elon Musk. He will also be meeting delegations from the Indian diaspora and celebrating International Yoga Day on June 21 at the United Nations headquarters in New York

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Nearly five lakh dislikes, rising each minute across channels, clicks on ‘thumbs down’  have carpet bombed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 15th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat 2.0’ that aired on Sunday August 30. A ‘digital strike’, to use the PM fan clubs terminology, as it were, has sent a strong message, from the youth, to those manning the social media strategy for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Perhaps the social media teams in charge of producing and promoting his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ (MKB) show which he started as an informal audio blog for his fans, have got the biggest jolt this Sunday. Over 4.7 lakh dislikes have been reported from one channel alone. Ironically that is the official Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) channel with over 30 lakh subscribers, this MKB episode had over 15,48,416 views/ listeners.  

Add to this the number of dislikes on the other channels including the PM’s personal channel, the Doordarshan News channel, and others, the total number of ‘thumbs down’ of MKB will continue to rise as the day progresses. This is a warning for the PM’s social media team. It is not known if heads have rolled yet for the writers and researchers of the speech, or if the SEO team will now have to work overtime to undo the embarrassment caused this weekend. For the Bharatiya Janata Party fans, and those especially devoted to the persona of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who are all ears and eyes, whenever he ‘addresses’ the nation,  this especially has bruised some egos. While senior party leaders such as Maneka Gandhi, took to twitter to laud the PM’s Mann Ki Baat mentioning breeds of Indian dogs. 

I would like to thank Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji for promoting Indian dogs in this week’s Mann Ki Baat. The hallmark of a true Indian is compassion for all beings and the best way to do this is to take care of animals around you. ? #AdoptDontShop pic.twitter.com/hLug3aV3V8

— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) August 30, 2020

However, young India seems demands that the PM listen to them, and address their concerns about impending entrance exams being announced even though Covid-19 is far from over, and caseloads reported each day are the highest in India  in no mood to listen to ‘jumlas’.

The comments on his Sunday sermon, where he spoke about promoting indigenous dogs, indigenous toys, festivals in the times of Coronavirus, and lauded the National Education Policy, just announced by the BJP government, indicate that no amount of PR, or oratory skills are now wooing the youth. Thousands of students took to responding to the live stream, and later to the recorded replay that was aired on the PM’s own channel, and also on other channels including the national news channel Doordarshan. The comments showed the rage and disappointment in the youth, many of whom had in fact voted for the PM in the last elections. Here is a tiny (unedited) sampler of what they now had to say to the PM. 

“Destroyed our nation completely …no student should vote BJP …if they remember in 2024,”

“सिंहासन खाली करो कि जनता आती है, देश को बर्बाद कर दिया है फेकू ने (leave the throne… ‘pheku’ has destroyed the country)”

“This happens when most uneducated people in government leading us… Such a shame! You are talking about toys and pet dog but didn’t talk about students problem when covid case is arising like a bullet train but wait and watch!”

“One of the most corrupted and fake government which has destroyed the life of youth who are preparing for government jobs”

“When they wanted him to discuss exams, he talked about toys. The guy lives in his own world.”

“When you can’t listen to your country’s student voice and talking about nonsense topics…PLZZ help us…leave corrupt people like ramesh Pokhriyal…otherwise 2024 is near…we will act there”

“He is going to destroy india. Either believe me or wait”

“Jobless, hopeless , Failed government failed ministers , Sitting on home from past 2 years even after qualifying exam and this government is doing nothing but jumlebaji .”

“We dont want mann ki baat , do jann ki baat . Talk about employment , economic recession, covid and what goverment is doing to tackle it.”

“No job , reccession, rising covid cases , uncertainty among youth everything is in downward graph dont understand what the govt is trying to achieve !””

“Pradhan Sevak for all?? Don’t let your ego win sir, see the plight of students.

“Never ever vote BJP !! They didn’t care students !! 25 lakhs life in Danger because of BJP ego !! 2024 coming soon”

“Remembering that day when I was chose to vote for him…literally regretted.

“2 करोड़ नौकरी गई उन पे बात करो।”

“The dislikes are a gift for modiji. He is playing with lives of millions of students. SHAME ON U”

Even as the world is alarmed at the rate at which daily Covid-19 cases are rising in the country, and the national capital Delhi crossed 2,000 cases in a single day on Sunday, the PM said, “Broadly speaking in a way, there is a feeling of responsibility amongst citizens. People are getting along with their day to day tasks, while taking care of themselves and others as well. At every event being organised in the country, the kind of patience anda simplicity being witnessed this time is unprecedented. Even Ganeshotsav is being celebrated online at certain places.”

He also said farming in the times of Corona was doing well, as “sowing of kharif crops has increased by 7 percent compared to last year. The sowing of paddy has increased by approximately 10 percent, pulses close to 5 percent, coarse cereals almost 3 percent, oilseeds around 13 percent and cotton nearly 3 percent. For this I extend felicitations to the farmers of our country…I salute their perseverance.” 

Of course the now viral focus on toys ignited when he said, “I, together with the Children University of Gandhinagar, a unique experiment in the world, Indian government’s Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises, pondered and deliberated over, what we can do for our children. We discussed how to make new toys available to the children of India, how India could become a big hub of toy production.” 

He even invoked Rabindranath Tagore on toys, “I read somewhere what Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore had said about toys, the best toy is that which is incomplete; a toy that children together complete  while playing. Gurudev Tagore had said that during his childhood, he used to make his own toys and games with his friends, with materials available at home, using his own imagination… Gurudev used to say that toys should be such that they bring out the childhood of a child and also his or her creativity..” And a commentator quickly reacted, “Chanting Tagore’s name repeatedly… 2021 Bengal election is coming….”

While the PM completely skipped talking about the raging entrance exams, almost every other comment was on the subject, “If my younger brother gets corona because of JEE exam , I promise I have 9 voters in my house , no one will ever going to vote for bjp,” said one.

By Monday, the BJP IT cell seems to have woken up to what has hit them. Slowly some comments are no longer seen. Many more are likely to vanish before the day ends, however, as comedian Shyam Rangeela, who shot to fame with his voice mimicry of the PM himself said, these “dislikes too may soon be seen as ‘dus’ (ten) likes” or even better, the forces that be may say “just invert your screens and all the thumbs down will appear to be thumbs up.” 

Dislike भी एक चुनौती है और इस से निपटना मोदी जी को आता है…?

Video on trending tags:- #studentdislikepmmodi #StudentsLivesMatters pic.twitter.com/4czNUwDWqH

— Shyam Rangeela (@ShyamRangeela) August 31, 2020

Jokes aside, when lakhs of students ensure that hashtags like “#studentdislikepmmodi #StudentsLivesMatters” start trending online, it could well be a sign the BJP may want to take note of. 

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He may not be fasting even as a token gesture, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made sure he spares a few words of solidarity towards the Muslim community as Ramzan gets underway. Over this weekend, the PM has made sure to mention Ramzan, and ‘connect’ with the Muslim community twice already. Of course there has been no connection with those openly targeting Muslims across the country, blaming them for ‘spreading Coronavirus’, and using the Covid-19 lockdown as an excuse to carry out their hate speech, and discrimination.

Instead, the Prime Minister greeted the Muslim community in his Sunday radio talk ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and stated the obvious: “Ramzan this year is taking place while we are in the midst of the battle against Covid-19. Let’s take the right precautions today so that the coming Id-Ul-Fitr can be marked in the same way as it has been done earlier,” he said.

At first listen, it appears that the PM in his Mann Ki Baat, sounded hopeful that the Coronavirus pandemic, and/or the nationwide lockdown and the conditions emerging due to this situation will be under control in time for Eid next month.

His optimism comes as the same time as his ‘gentle reminder’ to the community that Ramzan is also a time for “patience, harmony, sensitivity” and most important, “service” toward others. “The holy month of Ramzan has begun. Last year when Ramzan was celebrated/ observed no one would have thought this Ramzan we will have to face such big troubles this time.” 

Ramzan this year is taking place while we are in the midst of the battle against COVID-19.

Let’s take the right precautions today so that the coming Id-Ul-Fitr can be marked in the same way as it has been done earlier. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/gVtIHKrkuv

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 26, 2020

“But now that the trouble has come” the PM said there was also an ‘opportunity’ that had revealed itself. He urged everyone to “observe this Ramzan with patience, harmony, sensitivity , empathy, service to others… this time let us pray/ devotion more than before. So that by the time Eid comes, we celebrate with as much enthusiasm as before.” 

The PM said that he had “faith” that those observing the Muslim holy Month will do so as guided by the local administration. “I have faith that this Ramzan while obeying the instructions of local administrations, we will strengthen this fight against Coronavirus. We need to follow physical distancing rules more than ever,” he said in his Mann Ki Baat  telecast.

It is important to repeat here that all religious places of worship, especially of Muslim, Sikh, and Christian communities have been shut for over a month now. No religious congregations are allowed and clerics have asked people to stay home and pray. Even as the Ramzan crescent moon was sighted, this message was repeated by Muslim community leaders, and clerics once again. 

According to news reports, clerics across the country, including the  Shahi Imams of Jama Masjid and Fatehpuri Masjid in Delhi had appealed to Muslims to offer namaz during Ramzan from home, and strictly follow the lockdown guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Much before this eminent community leaders such as  Delhi Minorities Commission Chairman Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan had already written to the community to observe all the guidelines listed under the Coronavirus lockdown protocol.

The PM has noticed this and had a word of appreciation for them too, “today I also am grateful to those community leaders who have made people aware of keeping ‘two meter’ distance, staying at home…”  

As a ‘patriarch’ is wont to  sometimes compare siblings the PM reminded listeners that the Coronavirus pandemic had changed the way we celebrate community festivals. He counted the harvest festivals and community new years such as Bihu, Baisakhi, Vishu, Oriya New Year, and said that he saw how they were celebrated ‘simply, and at home,’ under the lockdown. “We saw how people stayed home and celebrated these festival…  other times they go out and celebrate joyously with friends and family.” 

A special mention was made of the Christian community celebrating, “Easter at home,” this year, he lauded those actions and said such, “responsibility towards society and country was important. That is how we will defeat the pandemic like corona”. 

This was the second time in three days that the PM had taken notice of the Muslim community. He had greeted the nation on Friday after the Ramzan moon was sighted and the beginning of the Muslim Holy month of fasting, prayer, and charity, had been officially announced across the country. 

Ramzan Mubarak! I pray for everyone’s safety, well-being and prosperity. May this Holy Month bring with it abundance of kindness, harmony and compassion. May we achieve a decisive victory in the ongoing battle against COVID-19 and create a healthier planet.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 24, 2020

“Ramzan Mubarak! I pray for everyone’s safety, well-being and prosperity,” he tweeted.

The attention from the Prime Minister, towards the community which has been made the target of hate, in speeches and actions, across the country is the latest, and the most elaborate since April 19. When he himself had tweeted that “COVID-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking. Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood.”

COVID-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking.

Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood.

We are in this together: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 19, 2020

This message had come after scores of Arab influencers began calling out the way the Muslim community was being treated in india under the Coronavirus lockdown. The latest is a statement from Kuwait ministers as shared by news anchor, Ahmad Alwahidah, “ Kuwait concern about the ethnic attacks against Muslims in India and calls on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the international community to take the necessary measures to stop these attacks and to preserve the rights of Muslims and inject their blood.”

Kuwait concern about the ethnic attacks against Muslims in India and calls on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the international community to take the necessary measures to stop these attacks and to preserve the rights of Muslims and inject their blood.#india #Muslim pic.twitter.com/dUlYwIPB7J

— أحمد الوهيدة (@AHMAD_ALWAHIDAH) April 26, 2020

He and other Arab journalists, eminent personalities, Emirati royalty, including Princess of Oman, Mona bint Fahd al Said, have been active in keeping a record of, and sharing online, the many instances of discrimination against Muslims in India. That the world is watching how India is treating its minorities once again, the attention has been so intense from the Arab nations, that Indian diplomats had to warn Indians working there, from speaking ill against the Muslim community. News reports about discrimination against Muslims in India has gone viral globally.

While the threat of a diplomatic crisis has made the PM, and his ministers take notice, the voices closer home are yet to be heard. Even those from Delhi, where the PM resides. For example, issues raised by the Delhi Minorities Commission who have alerted authorities in the deteriorating situation in the quarantine camps where Muslim inmates are denied basic amenities even as they observe Ramzan. “Saturday was the first day of the fasting month of Ramzan but the inmates at Wazirabad kept fast on empty stomachs because pre-dawn food was not supplied. Then for breaking their fast at sunset yesterday, they were provided each with just two bananas and three dates while again no pre dawn meal was provided,” said the DMC in its latest letter to the authorities. Eventually the Jamiat Ulama stepped in and provided the people with predawn food or sehri.

Perhaps, this situation too may be discussed by the highest offices of the Indian administration once the Arab world takes notice.

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There were no takers for the Prime Minister’s much-hyped monthly radio address in many BJP-ruled states, reveals an RTI reply.

Image for representational use only,Image Courtesy : DD NEWS
 

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