New Delhi: The Congress party on Friday launched yet another scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lambasting his ongoing three-nation tour and questioning his apparent lack of “empathy” for the beleaguered state of Manipur. The opposition highlighted the Prime Minister’s consistent zest for international travel, dubbing it his “3 Es” – energy, excitement, and enthusiasm – while lamenting the absence of a crucial fourth ‘E’ – empathy – towards the strife-torn northeastern state.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh, minced no words in his criticism, pointing out that this marks Modi’s 35th overseas trip since May 2023. Ramesh took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his dismay, particularly concerning the Prime Minister’s visit to Canada. He resurrected an old anecdote, recalling Modi’s 2015 mathematical analogy using the $(a+b)^2$ formula to describe India-Canada relations, only to assert that “things went horribly wrong thereafter.” Ramesh further claimed that despite initial suggestions of Canada’s reluctance to invite India, Modi’s subsequent acceptance of the G7 Summit invitation exposed the “drum beaters” who had proclaimed otherwise.
Ramesh also took a dig at the Prime Minister’s perceived disconnect with economic realities, noting that the Canadian Prime Minister had invited India to the G7 Summit citing its status as the world’s fifth-largest economy. He then sarcastically suggested that Modi might want to remind his Canadian counterpart that, according to the Niti Aayog CEO, India had already ascended to the position of the world’s third-largest economy on May 24, 2025.
The core of the Congress’s critique, however, remained focused on Manipur. Ramesh passionately questioned how the Prime Minister could possess such ardour for foreign visits yet fail to summon empathy for the people of Manipur, whose “distress, agony and suffering continues unabated.” He underscored the gravity of the situation by stating that Modi has not met with a single individual from the state, let alone political leaders, since May 3, 2023, when the ethnic violence first erupted. Ramesh labelled the Prime Minister’s treatment of Manipur as “pathetic.” The Congress leader further shared an old video clip from 2015, showcasing the Prime Minister’s mathematical analogy, ostensibly to highlight a perceived shift in his priorities or a lack of attention to pressing domestic issues. The Congress has consistently criticised the Prime Minister’s alleged inaction and the Centre’s handling of the protracted ethnic strife that has claimed over 220 lives and displaced thousands of people from the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities since May 2023.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi embarked on his three-nation tour earlier today. His itinerary includes participation in the G7 Summit in Canada, followed by bilateral visits to Cyprus and Croatia, with the stated aim of bolstering India’s cooperation with these nations. The Prime Minister’s first stop is Cyprus, at the invitation of President Nikos Christodoulides. Subsequently, he will travel to Kananaskis, Canada, on June 16-17 for the G7 Summit, responding to an invitation from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The final leg of his tour will see him in Croatia on June 18, undertaking an official visit at the invitation of the Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic.
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