Imphal: The Congress party has strongly criticised Union Minister Kiren Rijiju after he urged the people of Manipur and the Northeast to be “grateful” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for basic development and job appointments. In a pointed rebuttal, Congress leader Rajesh Kumar Sethi, National Coordinator of the AICC Minority Department and in charge of Manipur, described Rijiju’s comments as “deeply problematic” and an example of the BJP’s “patronising mindset” toward the region.
Sethi argued that roads, employment, connectivity, drinking water, and security are not “gifts” from the Prime Minister but fundamental entitlements owed to every Indian under the Constitution. “The Prime Minister of India is not doing a favour to the Northeast; he is simply performing his Constitutional duty,” he said, accusing the BJP of seeking applause for meeting basic governance obligations.
Taking a direct swipe at the unresolved Naga Peace Accord, Sethi said the Prime Minister’s 2015 promise of a swift resolution has instead spiralled into deeper confusion. “What was once a dialogue involving three or four groups has now exploded to 28 factions. This is not progress, it’s a collapse of political direction,” he said, questioning whether the people of Nagaland should be grateful for this “escalation of complexity and division.”
On Manipur’s ongoing ethnic violence, Sethi sharply criticised the Prime Minister’s prolonged silence and physical absence from the state. “More than 200 people have died, thousands are displaced, yet the PM has not visited Manipur even once. Leadership is about standing by people in their darkest hours, not tweeting from afar,” he said.
He further highlighted the deteriorating infrastructure and floods in Dimapur, Nagaland’s economic centre, questioning how gratitude could be expected when basic governance is missing. “The city is reeling from severe flooding and infrastructure failure. Gratitude cannot be demanded where there is only administrative collapse,” he said.
Raising a broader concern, Sethi warned against what he called a “culture of manufactured gratitude” being promoted by the BJP. He urged citizens of the Northeast to demand their rights rather than accept development as a favour. “We want people to question more, demand better, and receive what they deserve—not crumbs handed out with a photo opportunity,” he concluded.
Sethi’s response comes after Rijiju made his comments during the Rozgar Mela in Dimapur, where PM Modi distributed 51,000 appointment letters via video conferencing at 47 locations across the country. The sharp exchange signals heightened political contestation in the Northeast as questions of development, peace, and accountability take centre stage.