Cong Members stage walk out
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 20 2018: The fifth session of the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly began on an ominous note with Opposition Members walking out of the House today.

As Chief Minister N Biren tabled the 6th report of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), Congress Members demanded extension of the ongoing Assembly session as two days is too short to discuss any of the burning issues besieging the State.

Pointing that the BAC's report has been already adopted, Speaker Y Khemchand said that all the issues may be discussed on the July 23 sitting.

But the Opposition Congress Members contended that the session itself is anti-people for it overlooks all the public issues, and they walked out of the House saying that they would not be part of such a sitting.

However, the five Congress MLAs who have been supporting BJP remained seated inside the House albeit on the Opposition Bench.

Before they walked out, Congress MLA Kh Joykisan urged the Speaker to convene a BAC meeting and extend the ongoing House session so that the sensitive issues like the Framework Agreement, Manipur University crisis, border pillar controversy etc can be discussed at length.

Pointing out that businesses listed for July 23 do not allot any time for discussing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and other key issues, Joykisan urged the Speaker to intimate the same to the BAC and ensure that Opposition Members can share their viewpoints and suggestions.

N Loken expressed keen desire for the Central and the State Governments to initiate concrete actions in order to resolve the MU crisis at the earliest.

A fact finding committee set up by Congress party had already submitted a report after investigating into the protracted crisis.

Even as the committee met members of MUSU, MUTA and MUSA, the VC refused to meet the committee, Loken said.

He said that the Central Government did not pay any heed to what four ex-presidents of BJP Manipur Pradesh, the incumbent president and the Chief Minister said on the MU crisis.

Asking Loken to shorten his observations, Speaker Y Khemchand suggested that the Opposition MLA may give his observations on the last day of the session.

The last day's sitting may be extended if there are agenda yet to be discussed by the end of the stipulated hours or a meeting of the BAC may be convened, Khemchand said.

Ex-Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam made a strong point that two-day session would not do justice to the multiple burning issues besieging the State.

He too urged the Speaker to increase the number of sittings.

As there was no reply to his appeal, Gaikhangam and all other Congress MLAs walked out of the House saying that they would not be part of such an anti-people sitting which, according to them, sidelines all major public issues.

House leader and Chief Minister N Biren contended that all major public issues may be discussed in the Chief Minister's chamber if there is not enough time to discuss all these issues on the last day of the session.

There is no rule that all public issues should be discussed only in the State Assembly, he observed.

Border re-survey team would arrive on July 24 and the State Cabinet has forwarded its resolution on MU crisis to the Centre, Biren said and added that it is not desirous to hold Assembly session only to stoke people's sentiment and emotion.

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