Minister refutes assembly rule violation charges
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, December 24 2024: Refuting CLP leader Okram Ibobi's allegation that the BJP government is violating constitution and assembly rules, law and legislative assembly affairs minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar asserted that not hiding the assembly session three times does not amount to violation of the Constitution.

Addressing the media at the DIPR auditorium here on Tuesday, the minister pointed that as per the Article 174 of the Constitution of India, the minimum number of state assembly session in a calendar year is two.

"The Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in Manipur Legislative Assembly has provision of holding three sessions in a calendar year.

However, the state assembly rules are superseded by the Constitution and as such there is no violation of the Constitution," the minister explained while rejecting charges levelled by the former chief minister againsi the BJP-led government.

He further said that during the Congress rule under O Ibobi from 2002 to 2|016, there were five calendar years with two assembly sessions - 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009,, and 2016 .

They should remember their past before pointing fingers, he jibed.

The minister also said that the BJP government had three ses -sions a year from 2018 to 2020.After the Covid-19 pandemic, the government reduced the number of session: to two without violating the constitution, he maintained while advising the Congress leader to carefully study the Constitution and also seek legal advice before making blind accusations.

The BJP government will hold three sessions a year once the situation improves and there is no hurdle, he assured.

Basanta also elaborated that as per the Constitution, "Houses of the legislature of the state shall be summoned to meet at least twice every year, and six months shall not intervene between the last sitting and the date appointed for the next session.

The Budget and the Autumn sessions were held earlier this year" .

The minister's remark came in the wake of recent allegations by Ibobi that the BJP-led government violated constitutional provisions by not holding the winter session of the assembly.

"The state government has always made efforts to implement the mandatory provisions of the Constitution and rules framed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly.

It is pertinent to mention that in normal times, the government had always summoned the House three times, from 2017 to 2020," he added.

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