GUWAHATI: The Manipur Assembly session was not held on Monday despite the state cabinet’s recommendation on this matter to Governor Anusuiya Uikey.
“The state cabinet has recommended to the Hon’ble Governor of Manipur for summoning the 4th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly on August, 21, 2023,” an official statement had stated on August 4.
But the session was not held. This comes after 10 Kuki MLAs, including seven from ruling BJP, had expressed their inability to attend the assembly session as violence in the northeastern state, which broke out on May 3, continued.
Official sources said the office of the Governor did not issue any notification summoning the session of the House. The notification is required to be issued 15 days ahead of a session.
After a cabinet meeting held earlier this month, the state government had recommended the House session.
The last session of the House was adjourned sine die in March.
Article 174 of the Constitution says: “The House or Houses of the Legislature of the State shall be summoned to meet twice at least in every year, and six months shall not intervene between their last sitting in one session and the date appointed for their first sitting in the next session.”
The Congress said the fact that the session was not held despite the state cabinet’s recommendation proved Constitutional machinery has simply broken down in Manipur.
“On July 27th, the state government requests Governor of Manipur to convene special session of Assembly in the third week of August. On August 4th, Governor is requested once again to convene special session, but this time on a specific date, namely August 21st,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on X, previously Twitter.
“Today is August 21st and the special session has NOT been called. There has been no Monsoon session of the Assembly either,” he further wrote on the microblogging site.
The Congress leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was preoccupied with “refurbishing his self-styled Vishwaguru role” and the home minister was “busy electioneering”. The agony of the people of Manipur continues unabated, he added.
Over 180 people were killed and thousands displaced in the ongoing violence in the state.
Meanwhile, the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), Kangpokpi reimposed an indefinite blockade on two national highways in Kangpokpi district, in protest against the failure of the Centre to protect the Kuki-Zo community and its failure to ensure free movement of essential commodities to Kuki-Zo communities in hill areas of the state. The NH 2 connects Imphal with Nagaland’s Dimapur and NH 37 which links Imphal with Assam’s Silchar.
