One day session of Manipur assembly to be held on Tuesday

Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on the recommendations of the state cabinet summoned the monsoon session of the state assembly on August 29 after the main opposition Congress and various other organisations have been demanding to convene the assembly session.

Imphal: A vital one day session of the Manipur assembly, which is expected to discuss the prevailing ethnic situation in the state, will be held on Tuesday.

The ethnic conflicts between the non-tribals Meitei and tribal Kuki and their sub-tribes since May 3 have devastated the state. Manipur Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh on Saturday said that the 4th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly would be one day on August 29 and the present state situation would be discussed. Ruling BJP sources said that few resolutions on the ongoing ethnic crisis are likely to be adopted in the session.

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Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on the recommendations of the state cabinet summoned the monsoon session of the state assembly on August 29 after the main opposition Congress and various other organisations have been demanding to convene the assembly session to discuss the present ethnic turmoil in the state. The previous assembly session was held in March.

As per the norms, at least one assembly session must be held every six months. The Congress legislature party led by former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh earlier met the Governor and demanded to convene a special session of the Assembly under Article 174 (1) of the Constitution. The Congress leaders, who are demanding imposition of President’s rule in Manipur, have been saying that the state Assembly is the most appropriate forum to discuss and debate the ongoing turmoil for which suggestions of measures to restore normalcy can be moved and discussed. Meanwhile, 10 tribal MLAs, including seven ruling BJP legislators, along with many other tribal organisations, since May 12 have been demanding a separate administration for the tribals. The 10 tribal MLAs include two ministers — Letpao Haokip and Nemcha Kipgen. The tribal legislators also said that they would not be able to attend the assembly session in Imphal due to security reasons.

Five MLAs of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) are likely to attend the session, though they are yet to declare their decision officially. The NPF has two ministers in the 12-member council of ministry headed by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. Over 160 people have been killed and more than 600 injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

In view of the ethnic strife in Manipur, approximately 70,000 men, women and children belonging to different communities have been displaced and are now sheltered in 350 camps set up in schools, government buildings and auditoriums in Manipur and several thousand sought refuge in the neighbouring states including Mizoram.