In a heated session at the Manipur Legislative Assembly, Congress MLAs raised accusations against the ruling party, alleging a disregard for procedural norms in addressing the ongoing crisis in Manipur.
The Opposition’s discontent stemmed from the rejection of their proposal to allocate a dedicated day for discussing the crisis under Rule 269 of the Assembly’s Business Conduct.
During the opening of the fifth session of the 12th Assembly, the leader of the House, CM Biren presented the Business Advisory Committee’s sixth report, proposing a specific allocation of time. However, opposition MLAs demanded an amendment to this allocation, advocating for a full day’s session solely dedicated to addressing the Manipur crisis.
The leader of the House, countering the demand, suggested that the crisis could be discussed within existing agenda items such as calling attention or general discussions.
The Speaker even echoed this sentiment, asserting that the issue could even be tackled during short-duration discussions.
Despite opposition MLAs’ protests lasting around a few minutes, the session proceeded to other agenda items, adopting the proposed time allocation by the Business Advisory Committee.
Terming the decision as authoritarian and indicative of an overruling policy of bulldozing, Congress MLAs expressed their grievances to the media outside the Assembly complex after the session adjourned.
MLA K Ranjit emphasised that the current Assembly session, as per the Business Advisory Committee’s report, lacked adequate space to address the pressing crisis faced by the people of Manipur.
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He clarified that while the opposition did not oppose passing any budgetary measures, they insisted on a platform to thoroughly discuss and resolve the ongoing crisis to restore normalcy in the state.
Addressing the chief minister’s argument, Ranjit dismissed calling attention as an insufficient platform for a comprehensive discussion, citing its limitations on the number of representatives allowed to speak and the frequency of discussions per day.
He also highlighted the urgency of discussing the Ethics and Privilege Committee’s report on the 10 Kuki MLAs who demanded separate administration, emphasising the ruling party’s failure to address the concerns of Manipur’s populace.
Further elaborating that the House can only pass Resolution One once a week, typically on Fridays, he accused the rejection of amending the time allocation for discussing the Manipur crisis as an agenda to prolong the SoO agreements, set to expire on February 29.
MLA Th Lokeshwar stressed the significance of discussing the Ethics and Privilege Committee’s report, as it pertains to the membership status of the 10 Kuki MLAs.
With less than 50 days of sitting in the Assembly per year, Lokeshwar emphasised the limited avenues available for action against the said MLAs other than discussion through the report of Ethics and Privilege Committee, further criticising the ruling party for obstructing meaningful dialogue on this matter.
