Disqualify 12 PSs: Cong to Najma
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 23 2020: A group of senior Congress MLAs led by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Okram Ibobi today submitted a memorandum to Governor Dr Najma Heptulla for disqualification of 12 ruling MLAs for holding office of profit as Parliamentary Secretaries.

The Congress leaders asserted that the office of Parliamentary Secretary was clearly an office of profit as the Parliamentary Secretaries were given monthly salaries from GAD in the scale given to Ministers.

They were also issued vehicles and monthly salaries of their staff were paid by the Government, according to the memorandum.

Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan here today after submitting the memorandum to the Governor, O Ibobi said that as many as 12 MLAs were appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries in the State when all such appointments were already done away with in other parts of the country as the office of Parliamentary Secretary was counted as an office of profit.

Disqualify 12 PSs: Cong to Najma

When the Delhi Government appointed some Parliamentary Secretaries, they were given salaries entitled to MLAs but the Government of Manipur paid salaries in the scale enjoyed by Ministers to the 12 Parliamentary Secretaries it appointed, issued vehicles and bore the expenditure of paying salaries to their staff.

Ibobi said they submitted a memorandum to the Governor enclosed with necessary documents seeking disqualification of the 12 MLAs who hold office of profit in the name of Parliamentary Secretaries.

One Independent candidate filed nomination papers for the by-election in Singhat AC.

After his nomination papers were cleared after due scrutiny, the candidate withdrew his candidature yesterday.

In the meantime, the Government issued an order with its date of issuance manipulated whereby the particular Independent candidate was appointed as OSD, ST & Tribal Affairs.

The Government may contend that the date of issuance was not manipulated but it is a fact that the date of issuing the order was manipulated or a prior date was put on it, Ibobi claimed.

If the particular order has been issued before filing nomination papers, it is highly questionable as to why the candidate's nomination papers were given clearance.

Due responsibility must be fixed on the RO concerned.

Such tactic is utterly shameful, the CLP leader remarked.

Even as the gazette notification issued by the Election Commission of India said, "Th Shyamkumar Singh, sponsored by Indian National Congress, declared elected", the incumbent Chief Minister while submitting a list of Ministers to the Governor on his letterhead wrote "Th Shyamkumar Singh, Member, Indian National Congress", Ibobi said.

All the people of Manipur, and other States as well as the Congress party were taken by surprise when Th Shyamkumar was sworn in as a Minister in total defiance of the 10th Schedule in front of the Union Ministers who were then present in the Raj Bhavan, he recalled.

It is matter of shame that the Supreme Court later directed the Government to drop the particular Minister and bar him from entering the State Assembly.

Even today, BJP has been taking recourse to all kinds of unlawful activities, he said.

Since the day the BJP-led coalition Government was sworn in, BJP has been taking recourse to all kinds of underhand and illegal tactics, Ibobi alleged while warning all the people to be wary of BJP's illegal activities.

Taking a dig at BJP's repeated claims that there are no longer bandhs and blockades in the State, Ibobi asserted that it is an open secret who were the bandh/blockade sponsors, how the protracted blockade was lifted, who and who are hand in gloves in the valley and who and who are allied in the hills.

The team of Congress leaders who met the Governor and submitted a memorandum at the Raj Bhavan consisted of Okram Ibobi, former Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, Kh Ranjit, Govindas Konthoujam, Keisham Meghachandra and DD Thaisii.