ZCOs demand revocation of speaker's order on HAC membership
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, September 05 2021: Zeliangrong Civil Organisations (ZCOs) including Zeliangrong Baudi, Zeliangrong Youth Front and Zeliangrong Students' Union have strongly denounced the impugned order of the speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly issued on September 1 inducting eight MLAs of valley assembly constituencies as members of HAC.

The order was not only bereft of legal justification and simultaneously superseded the President's order of 1972 but also clearly reflected the ill motive of government's attempt to infringe upon the constitutional safeguard and protection enshrined in the Constitution of India for the hills people, a statement of ZCOs said.

It also recalled that the then President of India VV Giri issued an order in 1972 clearly mentioning that the chief minister and the speaker shall not be members of HAC.

The constitution of HAC under the Article 371C was enacted by an Act of Parliament and the same was issued under the executive order of the President of India.

So far, neither the Parliament has amended the Article 371C nor the President issued any executive order replacing the said Act.

Therefore, the speaker who is not the member of the HAC but issuing order inducting eight MLAs at will into HAC is a clear case of undue interference, arbitrary, infringement and an act of dictatorship, which deserves serious penalty.

Indeed, the speaker is the custodian of the democratic institution likeManipur Legislative Assembly and it the bounden duty of the speaker to uphold the functioning of the legislature and other statutory bodies related with the Manipur Legislative Assembly and to fulfil the constitutional obligations of those statutory bodies too.

The ZCOs, however, hailed those 'responsible and sensible MLAs' who have withdrawn their membership from the HAC fully knowing the legal invalidity.

The withdrawal of MLAs on the very next day shows the speaker's order was neither acceptable nor legally tenable.

The secretary of Manipur Legislative Assembly secretariat on sensing the disastrous consequences of the order on September 4 'kept in abeyance' the September 1 order, which is nothing but a time buying tactics not acceptable to the hills people of Manipur.

The demand of the hills people is for complete withdrawal of that impugned order, it said.

The people of the entire state were hopeful that the new BJP-led government may usher peace and harmony in the state when it came to power.

But without completion of even one full term, the government under the leadership of N Biren resorted to policies which have hurt the sentiment and interest of the people particularly the hills.

Manipur is a state of plural societies, therefore, any political party or political leaders trying to stir up the sentiment and attempt to consolidate the interest of a single community in order to overshadow the interest and ignore the sentiment of other communities will be a disastrous and futile exercise which would be detrimental to peaceful co-existence.

The ZCOs then urged the speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly to strictly adhere to the rules of law and the Government of Manipur to realize that its priority is to bring development and progress with trust and confidence among the citizens.

The ZCOs also appealed to the Governor, who is the guardian of the Constitution, to intervene into the matter and ensure that such unacceptable and legally untenable order is never issued in future.

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