Pawan Khera
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday took swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his visit to Assam and not the neighbouring state of Manipur while booking a ticket for him from Guwahati to Imphal.In a post on X, Khera took a swipe at the Prime Minister, saying Manipur should not be “abandoned” at a time when it has been witnessing unrest since 2023. He argued that the Prime Minister’s presence could have a reassuring impact on people in the troubled state.”Dear PM Narendra Modi, we understand that poll-bound states are always your top priority. But Manipur should not be abandoned. The state has been burning since 2023 — and it is burning again,” Khera wrote. Noting that PM Modi was in Assam, he added that Manipur was “just an hour away” and appealed to him to extend his visit to Imphal. In a sarcastic gesture, Khera also shared what he said were flight tickets from Guwahati to Imphal, urging the Prime Minister to “show that the PM cares”. The appeal comes amid renewed tension in parts of Manipur. On February 6, protests against the swearing-in of the state’s new deputy chief ministers, Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho, turned violent in Churachandpur district as security forces clashed with demonstrators. Police said the unrest began around 6 pm in the Tuibong Main Market area, where a large group of young protesters attempted to push security personnel back to their barracks. Earlier in the week, miscreants also set fire to several houses in villages around Litan in Ukhrul district, officials said.According to Manipur Police, while the situation in the affected areas remains tense, it has largely been brought under control. A joint control room has been set up at Litan police station to coordinate security measures, and senior officers are camping in the area to closely monitor developments.Police added that the overall law-and-order situation across the state remained normal over the past 24 hours.Meanwhile, PM Modi made a historic landing at the first Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) of the northeast aboard the C-130J aircraft in Dibrugarh district.PM Modi took off from the Chabua airfield after his arrival, and landed at the ELF in Moran on a stretch of National Highway-37.The Rs 100-crore ELF, a 4.2-km reinforced stretch on the Moran Bypass, which was inaugurated by the PM, will act as a strategic and multi-functional runway for IAF fighter jets and transport aircraft, strengthening defence, logistics and disaster response, officials said.The facility is designed for both civil and military use, serving as an alternative to the Dibrugarh airport in case of emergency, they said.The PM was received at the ELF by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and other ministers of the Assam cabinet.
