No Question Hour, private member resolutions ignored, both sides question Manipur Assembly one-day Session

However, to the dismay of many, the calendar for the Session issued by the Assembly Secretary on Saturday was a bare bones one. The list for the day includes just three topics: obituary references; presentation of committee reports, if any; and “other business”, if any.

Opposition MLAs have already hit out at the government for this calendar of the strongly anticipated Session. “We had wanted a Session of at least five days, to discuss the very serious turmoil in the state… One of the most important parts of an Assembly Session is questions and answers, but there is no provision for that. This one-day Session is totally against what the people wanted. They wanted a discussion for a concrete solution. Even the Kuki MLAs, including ministers, will not attend. Tomorrow’s Session will be held in a completely undemocratic way. It is just a formality, and a deprivation of the rights of members,” said K Meghachandra Singh, Manipur Congress president and an MLA from Wangkhem constituency.

The five Congress MLAs had sent notices for Private Member Bills to be moved in the Assembly. These included a resolution against the use of the term “buffer zones” while speaking of the conflict; a resolution to ensure that the cosmopolitan character of the border town of Moreh was protected; and a resolution to preserve the “territorial, financial and administrative integrity of Manipur”, and to urge the Union government to ensure peace in the state. However, the calendar does not make room for any of these.

The Session will also take place in the absence of the 10 Kuki-Zomi members of the house – who make up a sixth of the 60-member Assembly. Since the time summons were issued for the Session, all Kuki-Zomi MLAs have stated that it won’t be possible for them to attend the Assembly. This includes two state Cabinet ministers.

Last week, Kangpokpi MLA Nemcha Kipgen, the Minister for Textile, Commerce and Industry, with additional charge of the Department of Cooperation, had sought leave from Assembly Speaker Th Satyabrata Singh, stating that she had been advised against travelling to Imphal “due to the volatile law and order situation in Manipur”. The other Cabinet minister from the community, Letpao Haokip, has also written to the Speaker, seeking leave.

“We have not been informed of any special arrangement to ensure our safety in Imphal. So, given the circumstances, there is no question of attending,” said one of the MLAs.

Government spokesperson Sapam Ranjan Singh could not be reached for comment.

Groups representing the Kuki-Zomi community have also condemned the convening of the Session and demanded that it be postponed. On Sunday night, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (TLF) and the Committee on Tribal Unity (CTU) issued a joint statement, saying: “Forcing the Assembly session in spite of knowing well that the representatives of a sizable population of the state will not be able to attend, is not only immoral but also exposes the ulterior motive of the dominant community.”

It added that “any untoward incident arising out of it shall be the sole responsibility of the state government”.

Even Meitei groups that had been pushing for an Assembly Session have expressed their disappointment in the manner at which it is being held. Stating that the demand was for discussion and resolution of the current conflict, the spokesperson for the Meitei group COCOMI, Khuraijam Athouba, said, “They have issued a notice for the Assembly, but it doesn’t make any sense to conduct it in this way.”