'Drama' decried
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 29 2023:
The much anticipated State Assembly session that lasted only 11 minutes was a "drama" of the State Government to not discuss the violence that has gripped Manipur since May 3, said the Coordinating Committee of 27 Assembly Constituencies.
At the office of Kwakeithel Thiyam Leikai Youths' Organisation office, the coordinating committee's convenor, Loitongbam Binodkumar said that the violence, which erupted on May 3, has killed more than 150 people and displaced thousands of people, who are staying at relief camps opened across the State.
Today, while the Assembly session was on, Kuki militants launched several attacks that injured many civilians and village volunteers.
However, instead of discussing such attacks on civilians and the overall crisis, the session ended in just 11 minutes.
"The 11 minutes of session was a drama of the State Government to avoid any meaningful discussion on the present issue.
Such Government should be removed for good," he said.
Binodkumar said the Coordinating Committee of 27 Assembly Constituencies since the past weeks had been urging the Government to convene the session and the Assembly Members to take concrete resolutions to give Constitutional protection to Manipur and its integrity following the wishes of the people.
Even though Union Home Minister Amit Shah has given assurance that Manipur's territorial integrity would not be compromised, he has never given such assurance on the floor of the Parliament, he said.
Today, instead of taking such a resolution to grant Constitutional protection to Manipur's integrity as per the people's wishes, the session didn't discuss the crisis and ended abruptly in just 11 minutes.
This has revealed Government's complete lack of empathy for the people and its ignorance, he said.
Binodkumar asserted that the nature of the session revealed that saving the Government was a priority greater than solving the people's suffering.
"The session today was like the drama N Biren Singh orchestrated recently when he attempted to resign as CM," Binodkumar said.
When people were eager to watch the session live on televisions, it was not broadcast anywhere.
The Government must have done this anticipating a complete failure and paralysis of the session, he said.
Binodkumar reiterated that Manipur's integrity has come under threat every time an issue surfaces.
People are always on the edge every time an issue surfaces threatening the State's integrity.
It is time all such threats are defeated.
Manipur and her people need Constitutional protection.
As the Government has failed to successfully convene a session, people should instead hold an Assembly and take action, he added.