Proposal to adopt House resolution for a meeting with PM spurned
Cong MLAs stage walkout, to boycott last sitting
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 10 2024: Five Congress MLAs staged a walkout during the ongoing Assembly session on Friday and boycotted the remaining sitting scheduled on August 12 after their appeal to seek an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was rejected by the Speaker.

The Congress MLAs moved private member resolutions, proposing that the House take an unanimous decision to seek an appointment with the Prime Minis- ter and resolve the protrac-ted crisis in Manipur yester- day but the same was rejected.

Speaking during the Zero Hour, Ibobi said that the MLAs of the ruling party ignored their proposal to meet the Prime Minister by belittling the Congress party.

Proposal to adopt House resolution for a meeting with PM spurned

Saying that they don't have any intention to exploit the unrest in Manipur to score political mileage, Ibobi, the former Chief Minister, continued that they are seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister in the interest of the people.

There were reports of firing at Phougakchao Ikhai and Pallel recently with the latter taking place during the House session, he said and added that the Government has failed to restore normalcy in Manipur.

Further stating that they moved the private member resolutions so that the MLAs in both the ruling and Opposition benches can take a decision to meet the Prime Minister together, the Congress leader maintained that the Speaker, unfortunately, declined their proposal.

All the Congress MLAs walked out from the House after Ibobi said that they have no more reason to attend the Assembly session as their suggestion has been turned down.

Speaking to the media in front of the Manipur Legislative Assembly's gate at Chingmeirong , the former Chief Minister said that Manipur has been burning since May 3, 2023 and nobody knows when there will be normalcy in the State.

The Congress, while discussing the Governor's address, had suggested that other agendas could all be passed in three or four days so that the members of the House could have ample time to discuss the crisis in Manipur and take a concrete resolution to resolve it, Ibobi said.

Stating that the ruling party, however, has not been paying any attention to their proposal, Ibobi maintained that they (the five Congress MLAs) also tabled private member resolutions for the House to take a collective decision on seeking an appointment with the Prime Minister.

Further stating that intervention of the Prime Minis- ter is crucial to resolve the crisis in Manipur, the Congress leader added that Narendra Modi, unfortunately, has only been watching the situation in the State.

The Congress had sought an appointment to meet the Prime Minister amid the unrest but the same was rejected, he said.

Ibobi also said that the Prime Minister didn't give any appointment to even MLAs of the ruling party.

Continuing that the Congress MLAs tabled the private member resolutions as the other MLAs didn't endorse their call for the House to take an unanimous decision to meet the Prime Minister, Ibobi maintained that the Speaker, unfortunately, rejected their resolu- tions (private member) .

He said that none of the Congress MLAs will attend the House session scheduled on August 12 (Monday) .

Sugnu MLA K Ranjit, on the other hand, said that the people of Manipur have been urging the legislators to take a concrete stand to work out a solution to the ongoing crisis during the Assembly session.

Saying that the ruling MLAs and Ministers, as in previous two sessions, rejected the proposal to discuss Manipur crisis, the veteran Congress leader claimed that both the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah also don't want to restore normalcy in the strife torn State.

He further stated that the Union Home Minister and the Chief Minister have been making random statements on the Manipur crisis.

A resolution to abrogate SoO pact was taken in the previous Assembly session and yet the Chief Minister said that tripartite agreement between the Central and State Government and the Kuki militant groups is still effective, K Ranjit recalled and accused the ruling MLAs of making fun of the House.

He also said that a House resolution is taken very seriously in a democratic Nation like India.

Manipur is on the verge of collapsing during the time of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, the Congress MLA added.

"We know taking a resolution during the Assembly session to meet the Prime Minister will lower the dignity of the House but safeguarding Manipur should be our topmost priority," he added.

The prolonged unrest has taken a heavy toll on the people yet the Chief Minister defends himself by saying that he is constantly in touch with the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, Ranjit maintained.