Dr Nimaichand, O Joy state stand on belated assembly session
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 23 2023: After turning down repeated demand from different political parties and CSOs for a special session of the state assembly, the assembly session scheduled to begin from August 29 was convened just for namesake in order to ensure survival of the government, said JD-U spokesperson and senior politician Dr Nimaichand Luwang.

Addressing a press conference at the party's state office here on Wednesday, Dr Nimaichand recounted that opposition parties requested the Governor to convene assembly session twice with different CSOs and Meira Paibi groups too raising similar demand multiple times.

While pointing out some even called bandh to raise the demand which the government ignored, he contended that convening the session on August 29 after turning down all those demands testifies that the government has realised the consequences and predicament of undermining the mandate to hold assembly session every six month.

Dr Nimaichand also observed that the way the upcoming assembly session has been convened is perhaps the first time in the history of India.

The Governor has no power to convene assembly session on his/her own but need a recommendation of the cabinet.

At the same time, there is no provision to turn down a recommendation of the cabinet regarding convening of assembly session.

However, in the present situation, the Governor failed to summon assembly session after the state cabinet on August 4 resolved to hold assembly session on August 21 and this will have its own impact in the future, he said.

On the other hand, as per Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the state assembly, notice for an assembly session should be served 15 days prior.

Members of the House should be given 10 days to prepare star questions and their answers.

Since the upcoming session was convened with a gap of eight days only, there will not be enough time for MLAs to prepare their questions and answers.

In another word, this is a violation of the rights of the members of the House, he said while calling the situation in the state as constitutional breakdown.

Meanwhile, veteran politician Okram Joy Singh has said that the state assembly session scheduled on August 29 will not be beneficial to people of the state and it would not be right to affect normal session by the upcoming session.

Sharing his view of the upcoming session with some media persons at his residence Tuesday, O Joy said the upcoming assembly session cannot be convened by affecting normal session though additional session could be convened.

He observed that the upcoming session will enable the present government to save Constitutional crisis but will not be beneficial to public.

As normal session was not convened in time, the upcoming session can be challenged in the law court, he said.

During the height of Na-ga-Kuki clash, assembly session was convened within short notice.

However, the then chief minister O Ibobi Singh clarified in the House that the session cannot be considered as part of the next session and should be called additional session without affecting the previous session, O Joy recalled.

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