Veteran politician O Joy has expressed strong disappointment with the sitting of the Privileges Committee of the Manipur Legislative Assembly which met to discuss his petition on Thursday and said it has been reduced to a farce.
The petition filed on May 18 alleges unethical conduct by 10 Kuki MLAs who have been demanding a separate administration.
Joy, who addressed the media at his residence in Kakwa, Imphal West, on Thursday highlighted the absence of all Privilege Committee members, except for the chairman Sapam Nishikanta during the session.
The members of the panel are Ashab Uddin of Jiribam AC, RK Imo of Sagolband AC, Abdul Nasir of Lilong AC, S Premchandra of Kumbi AC, O Surjakumar of Khangabok AC and LM Khaute of Churachandpur AC.
“Such absence of all the members except the chairman has made the committee a mockery. It seems that they have forgotten that the petition was a big state issue,” he said.
He also voiced deep disappointment over the apparent inaction of the Speaker, Privileges Committee and Leader of the House regarding the demand for a separate administration by 10 Kuki MLAs.
He emphasised that attempts to disintegrate Manipur by the 10 MLAs constitute a breach of the privilege of the House, punishable under Rule 91 of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.
Questioning the silence of the Speaker, Privileges Committee, and Leader of the House over the past seven months, alleging that it appears to be a concerted effort to safeguard the 10 MLAs, he asserted that those in leadership roles were not appointed by the people to passively observe attempts to disintegrate Manipur.
Highlighting breach of privilege as a top priority for the House, Joy expressed surprise that the matter was not addressed in the last Assembly session.
Citing the infamous expulsion of Mahua Moitra from the Parliament adopting an ethics committee report that recommended her expulsion for sharing her login details, and accepting gifts and possibly cash from a businessman, he said, “It was small case but was taken up very fast as it breached the privilege of the Parliament. However, the matter of these 10 MLAs is a big issue but they remain silent since the last seven months.”
It seems that the Indian Parliamentary system which is also practiced by all commonwealth nations is not implemented in Manipur, he criticised.
He concluded by urging the Speaker and the state government to take appropriate action against the 10 MLAs in accordance with the rule of law.
