Mann Ki Baat and Manipur: Silence That Betrays a Nation

Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the 125th edition of his monthly radio address, Mann Ki Baat. As usual, the Prime Minister spoke of floods, sports, cultural achievements, and India’s progress on various fronts. But once again, for the people of Manipur, the broadcast was an empty echo. Since ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023, not a single word of acknowledgment or comfort has found its way into the Prime Minister’s most public and personal communication platform.
This silence is not a small lapse. It is negligence. It is avoidance of responsibility. And in the face of a humanitarian tragedy that has stretched on for over two years, it amounts to betrayal.
For more than 27 months, Manipur has remained trapped in cycles of violence, displacement, and fear. Hundreds of lives have been lost, villages have been reduced to ashes, and over 60,000 people have been forced to survive in overcrowded relief camps. The wounds are deep, yet the Prime Minister, who never misses an opportunity to celebrate a medal or festival on his radio programme, has carefully erased Manipur’s suffering from his narrative.
This pattern cannot be brushed aside as mere political strategy. When the head of government refuses to acknowledge a crisis of this magnitude, he is abdicating both moral and constitutional duty. The Prime Minister is not only the leader of his party but also the custodian of the Union of India. His silence in Mann Ki Baat suggests that Manipur’s pain does not count in the larger story of India that he chooses to tell every month. That is a dangerous message — one that deepens alienation and weakens trust in national leadership.
It is important to underline that Mann Ki Baat is not just another government programme. It is presented as the Prime Minister’s personal conversation with the people — a space where he claims to connect beyond politics, sharing concerns, inspirations, and reassurances. In this very space, he has spoken at length about yoga, wildlife, technology, festivals, and even the importance of cleanliness drives. But on Manipur, a state in flames, he has offered nothing but silence. Such selective communication is more damaging than an absence of speech altogether. It makes clear that the suffering of Manipuris is being deliberately ignored.
One cannot overlook the timing either. With speculation about a possible visit to Manipur in recent weeks, many citizens had hoped that the August broadcast would at least signal recognition of their plight. Instead, the omission was stark. It is a silence that cuts deeper than hostile words — because it signals indifference, abandonment, and erasure.
This silence carries consequences. Reconciliation in Manipur requires empathy from the highest office in the land. Healing requires acknowledgment. Yet the refusal to speak leaves wounds raw, pushing communities further apart and fueling resentment that will not be easy to contain. The Prime Minister’s inaction is therefore not passive; it actively undermines peace-building.
Accountability must be demanded. A government that proclaims Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat cannot pick and choose which states deserve inclusion in that unity. The people of Manipur are citizens of India, not subjects to be remembered only when elections loom. When a crisis of this scale is airbrushed out of national discourse, it ceases to be mere negligence — it becomes complicity by omission.
Two years of silence have already eroded trust. History will not record the glowing self-congratulation of Mann Ki Baat, but it will remember the voices that went unheard, the victims who waited in vain for acknowledgment. If this negligence continues, reconciliation may slip out of reach altogether.
The people of Manipur deserve a Prime Minister who speaks to them, stands with them, and takes responsibility. What they have received instead is silence — and silence, in this case, is betrayal.