Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his three-day visit to Russia and Austria, stating that Modi has neither visited the violence-hit northeastern state of Manipur nor met with its Chief Minister in the last 14 months. In contrast, this marks Rahul Gandhi’s third visit to the state.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ramesh, who is the party’s general secretary and communications in-charge, said, “Today, the non-biological Prime Minister goes to Moscow while the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha heads for Assam and Manipur. Of course, the drumbeaters of the non-biological Prime Minister have claimed that he stopped the Russia-Ukraine war for some time. Presumably, this Moscow trip will lead to even more bizarre claims.”
Taking another jab at the Prime Minister, he said, “This is Rahul Gandhi’s third visit to Manipur ever since the state blew up fourteen months ago. The non-biological Prime Minister has not found the time nor had the inclination to visit Manipur even for a few hours after the grave crisis erupted on May 3, 2023. He has not even met the CM of the state—who happens to be from his own party—and other political leaders of the state, including MLAs and MPs.”
Rahul Gandhi on Monday arrived in Manipur and met with families in relief camps. The violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 last year, forcing hundreds of people to take refuge in relief camps.
In another tweet, Ramesh posed three questions to the Prime Minister as he headed to Russia. He said, “India inherited a rich relationship with first the USSR and later Russia due to the astute diplomacy and strategic initiatives of various Congress governments through the decades. More recently, in his ten years as Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh met Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev (the two Presidents of Russia who served during his tenure) 16 times in India or Russia. By comparison, this is only Mr. Modi’s 11th meeting with President Putin after 10 years in office. While his propagandists make grand claims of having stopped the war between Russia and Ukraine, have relations between the two countries cooled off somewhat under Mr. Modi’s watch?”
He continued, “Between FY14 and FY23, India’s exports to Russia stagnated, falling from $3.17 billion to $3.14 billion. Meanwhile, the import bill has surged exponentially, rising from $6.34 billion to $46.21 billion. Such a lopsided trade relationship is unsustainable in the long term and has deleterious consequences for our domestic industry. Is a rectification of this trade imbalance on the agenda for the non-biological Prime Minister’s talks with President Putin? What is his vision to improve the trade balance between the two countries? According to the Indian Embassy in Moscow, at least 50 Indian nationals have joined the Russian Army. At least two individuals have already been confirmed as fatalities of the war. Many others have been ‘duped’ into fighting a war where they have no stake, aside from a chance to escape the poverty and unemployment crisis that the non-biological Prime Minister has perpetuated domestically. Will the non-biological Prime Minister take up the cause of these youths? Will he ensure their safe return to India as soon as possible?”
The Prime Minister on Monday embarked on a three-day visit to Russia and Austria.
In his departure statement ahead of his visit, the Prime Minister said, “I am embarking on an official visit to the Russian Federation for the 22nd Annual Summit and my first ever visit to the Republic of Austria over the next three days.”
“The Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia has advanced over the past ten years, including in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges,” Modi said.
“I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues. We seek to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region. The visit will also provide me an opportunity to meet the vibrant Indian community in Russia,” he said.
Mentioning his visit to Austria, the Prime Minister said, “In Austria, I will have the opportunity to meet President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Karl Nehammer. Austria is our steadfast and reliable partner and we share the ideals of democracy and pluralism.
“This is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister in over 40 years. I look forward to my discussions to take our partnership to even greater heights in new and emerging areas of innovation, technology, and sustainable development among others. Together with the Austrian Chancellor, I look forward to exchanging views with business leaders from both sides to explore mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities. I will also be interacting with the Indian community in Austria who is well regarded for their professionalism and conduct,” he added.
