Much-awaited Assembly lasts 10 minutes
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 29 2023: The 4th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly was adjourned by the Speaker after 10 minutes amid vocal protest by opposition members demanding answers from the treasury bench for violating the rules of procedure and conduct of business, and absence of agenda for discussion on the current crisis in the state.

The much-anticipated assembly session began at 11 am sharp with only two agenda in the list of business including obituary reference and presentation of the report of Business Advisory Committee (BAC) 2023 by leader of the House chief minister N Biren.

As soon as the Speaker took his chair, opposition member K Meghachandra moved a point of order during which his colleagues in the opposition also stood up.

MLA Meghachandra sought an explanation on absence of any of the private member resolutions submitted by the opposition members in the business list and said that they cannot allow further proceeding of the session without discussing their resolutions.

The Speaker asked the opposition members to remain seated but they did not listen and raised their voice against violation of their rights.

Opposition leader Okram Ibobi, while highlighting points from the BAC meeting, shouted "Stop Mockery of Democracy" while expressing his resentment.

All the opposition members shouted slogans like "Save Democracy", "Save Constitution", and "Give Answer Mr Speaker" .

Amid the chaos, chief minister N Biren said that the business list can be amended orally by the leader of the House and moved a resolution in relation with the current crisis.

The resolution stated, "With great sorrow and heavy heart, this House condoles the tragic loss of many lives in the recent violence in the State of Manipur.

In times like these, words seem insufficient to express the depth of the pain and grief that has befallen families, communities and the entire State.

This House also extends its thoughts and condolences to their families and loved ones.

May their souls find eternal peace" .

"This House unanimously resolves to work for the oneness and harmony of all the people of Manipur, irrespective of caste, community, region, religion or language.

The House also resolves that as peace is the priority of the state, this house will strive to resolve all the differences among the people till complete peace returns to the entire state, through dialogue and constitutional means," the resolution stated.

"This House resolves to appeal to each and every individual not to pay heed to divisionary elements, maintain peace and shun violence in the interest of our State and Nation.

By adopting this resolution, this House reaffirms its dedication to stay together in these trying times by healing wounds, fostering unity and creating a brighter future for all residents," the resolution read by the CM concluded.

However, there was no discussion on the resolution amid the protest by opposition members.

Amidst the chaos, members of the House observed two-minute silence as mark of respect to the departed souls during the on-going violence in the state.

However, the opposition members continued their protest as they demanded an answer from the Speaker whether the session was a regular session or a short notice one while at the same time criticising the government for not listing any agenda related with the current crisis in the state.

Questioning the reason for not listing the private member resolutions submitted by the opposition, MLA K Ranjit said that the MLAs are not experiencing the hardships and dangers faced by the displaced families and people living in the peripheral areas.

As the chaos continued, the Speaker said that the conduct of the opposition members seems to be an attempt to disrupt the session.

Amid his remark, the opposition members demanded the Speaker to suspend normal businesses and announce continuation of the session for five days to discuss the current situation in the state under Rule 511 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.

Chief Minister N Biren also lauded the success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission and appreciated the efforts of ISRO scientists including Dr N Raghu Singh from the state who was the project manager of a crucial component of the mission.

The CM also found time to praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission amid the uproar of opposition members.

The Speaker then adjourned the House for 30 minutes at 11.09 am.

The session resumed at 11.39 am but the Speaker adjourned sine die at 11.40 am as opposition members continued their protest and sloganeering.

The session did not considered any of the agenda listed.

There was no obituary reference and neither the BAC report was presented before the House.

Except for the 10 Kuki MLAs, who have been demanding separate administration, all the remaining 50 MLAs attended the session.

Six of the 10 Kuki MLAs have reportedly submitted leave applications.

As per rule of the House, leave application by any member should be read out by the Speaker and grant leave only after getting approval of the House.

However, the Speaker neither read out nor mentioned anything about the leave applications.

The Assembly session was significant, as over 170 people have been killed and more than 700 have been injured since the ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community 's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Due to the ethnic strife, approximately 70,000 men, women and children belonging to different communities have been displaced and are now sheltered in 350 camps set up in schools, government buildings and auditoriums in Manipur, while thousands of people have sought refuge in the neighbouring states, including Mizoram.

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