Jagadguru of Jhoot: Jairam Ramesh's dig at Modi over his Manipur rally claims

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of peddling "lies" at his Manipur rally and asked why was he "completely silent" on the state's fundamental issues such as AFSPA, MSP and rising prices of essential commodities.

Ramesh, a Congress senior observer for Manipur Assembly polls, slammed the prime minister for his remarks at his rally in Imphal, saying "the Jagadguru of Jhoot (world leader of lies)" was true to his nature.

At an election rally in Imphal East district, Modi said the BJP's "double-engine" government has laid a strong foundation for Manipur for the next 25 years.

Hitting out at Modi, Ramesh said among his many "lies" was the claim of full vaccination coverage when Manipur is among the worst in the country in Covid inoculation rates.

Only 47.6 per cent of the eligible population have got a double dose, he said.

Ramesh said the prime minister claimed providing a balanced development in Manipur and taking the administration to people's doors, while the truth is the BJP government has effectively "shut the doors of the Autonomous District Councils by not holding elections in the last five years".

"This is the murder of democracy in the hills and the grassroots," the Congress leader alleged.

The prime minister claimed poor performance in the power sector under Congress rule when the truth is that his government gave a national award to the Congress dispensation in 2015-16 for power sector reforms, Ramesh said in a series of tweets.

He alleged the prime minister claimed palm oil plantations will benefit Manipur's farmers while the truth is it is the transfer of profits and farmlands to two to three big palm oil companies.

Modi made tall claims on bringing railways to Manipur but in reality it was the Congress government which completed more than 70 per cent of the project by 2017, Ramesh said.

"Lastly, why was the prime minister completely silent on fundamental issues of Manipur AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act), MSP (minimum support price) and irrigation for farmers, rising youth unemployment, price rise of essential commodities in Manipur much above the national average, and rising drug trade from across the border?" he posed.

The Congress leader claimed the people of Manipur are fed up with the double-engine "haijinbi government of BJP" in Delhi and Imphal.

"The mood of Manipur is clear. Come March 10, it will be bye-bye, BJP!" he said in a tweet.

Polling for the 60-member Manipur Legislative Assembly will be held in two phases on February 28 and March 5, while the votes will be counted on March 10.