Imphal, August 10: With no alternative available immediately and with colleagues and coalition partners piling on the heat to revoke the Disturbed Area Act through a Cabinet decision, Chief Minister O Ibobi took his Cabinet Ministers for a good ride today by first summoning them for a meeting at 9 am and making them wait till 9 pm in vain.

At first, the story that did the round was that the Cabinet meeting could not be kicked off as the Special Secretary (Cabinet) P Bhorot had suddenly done the disappearing act.

However as things unfolded, the Special Secretary (Cabinet) was found in his office when some incensed MLAs went to look for him at the Secretariat.

P Bhorot was then subsequently taken to the Chief Minister's residence where it transpired that he had not been at all informed about the �scheduled� Cabinet meeting.

The officer disclosed that he was instructed by the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary not to come to the CM's office until told to do so, said the source.

Neither the Chief Minister nor the Chief Secretary had informed him about the so called Cabinet meeting, said a reliable source, while speaking to The Sangai Express.

Bhorot was not even directed to draw up the agenda to be discussed during the Cabinet meeting, informed the source.

It was only after the matter came to light that the furious Ministers and MLAs who have been demanding the revocation of the Disturbed Area Act left the CM's secretariat after waiting for 12 hours for a Cabinet meeting, that was never to be.

Senior CPI leader Ph Parijat is understood to have left stating that he would never ever attend any meeting called by the CM, added the source.

The source said that if the Chief Minister had really wanted to convene the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Secretary could have been asked to draw up the agenda for the meeting.

Stating that the Special Secretary (Cabinet) was at his office through out the day today, the source said that it is highly unethical to try and make a senior Government official the scapegoat of the fiasco that was enacted today.

A senior CPI MLA told newsmen that the SPF Legislature had during a meeting yesterday resolved that the Disturbed Area Act should be lifted and the Chief Minister was entrusted with the responsibility of convening a Cabinet meeting today to endorse the decision of the legislators.

The decision of the Cabinet was then to be taken to New Delhi, said the MLA.

All these were agreed during the meeting yesterday, he added.

That the Cabinet meeting could not be held on the ground that the Special Secretary (Cabinet) could not be found smacks of a larger conspiracy at work, he observed.

The MSCP has also asked the CM why it was not invited to the Steering Committee meeting of the SPF yesterday and demanded a true report of what was discussed during the meeting.

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