Shah briefs PM Modi about situation in Manipur

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned to India in the early hours of Monday after his six-day visit to the US and Egypt, enquired about the happenings in the country and held a high-level meeting with some of his Cabinet colleagues, including home minister Amit Shah, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and urban affairs and petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Senior officials, including the PM's principal secretary P.K. Mishra, were present at the meeting held at the Prime Minister's residence.

The high-level meeting took place two days after Shah chaired an all-party meeting, attended by 18 political parties, to discuss the ongoing situation in Manipur. Manipur's Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had briefed Shah on the "evolving situation" in the northeastern state and claimed that the state and central governments had been able to control the situation to a "great extent." It is learned that the home minister provided a detailed briefing to Modi on Monday about the situation in violence-hit Manipur as well as the flood situation in Assam.

Speaking to the media later on Monday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated that reports indicated Union home minister Amit Shah had finally spoken to Modi about the situation in the northeastern state and added, "For the last 55 days, Modiji did not say a word on Manipur. Every Indian is waiting for him to speak."

Meanwhile, the BJP described Modi's visit to the US and Egypt as an "important milestone" in India's diplomacy, and the grand welcome he received in both countries was a recognition of his efforts to elevate the country to "greater heights" in geopolitics.

Upon his arrival, Modi, who received a grand welcome, asked BJP president J.P. Nadda and other leaders about the situation in India, as per party leaders who had gone to receive him at the airport. Minister of state for external affairs Meenakashi Lekhi and other BJP MPs from Delhi, including Harsh Vardhan, Manoj Tiwari, Hans Raj Hans, Parvesh Verma, and Gautam Gambhir, were also present.

"He asked Nadda ji how things are going here, and Nadda ji told him that party leaders were reaching out to people with the report card of the nine years of his government, and the country is happy," BJP MP Manoj Tiwari told reporters when asked about the PM's query at the airport.

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw described Modi's visits to the US and Egypt as an "important milestone" in India's diplomacy. He stated that the grand welcome received by the Prime Minister in both countries was a recognition of his efforts to elevate India to "greater heights" in geopolitics. "The way our Prime Minister was accorded a grand welcome, the successful programmes held, and the bilateral decisions taken... all of that was recognition of the efforts that the PM has undertaken over his nine-year term to place India at a higher position in geopolitics... It is an important milestone... Be it an Islamic country or any other nation, all countries are placing their trust in India and Modi's leadership today, with the clarity of purpose with which they engage with India," said Vaishnaw while addressing the media at the BJP headquarters.