Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh has strongly criticised the one-day Manipur Assembly session held on Tuesday, labelling it a ‘farce’.
Ramesh condemned the state government for preventing any discussion on the current situation and obstructing the introduction of resolutions during the session.
Taking to the social media platform X, Ramesh wrote, “Today, the Manipur Assembly met for the first time since March 3rd, 2023. It stood in 2-minute silence in memory of those killed in the state since May 3rd. The CM read out a resolution and thereafter it got adjourned indefinitely, disallowing any other resolutions. The entire proceedings took much less than an hour.”
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the brief nature of the assembly session and criticised the ruling party for not extending the session to allow for more comprehensive discussions. Ramesh claimed that the ruling party’s reluctance to hold a longer session was due to the fear that internal differences within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would become evident.
“What a farce! There was simply no reason why with its huge majority the ruling party could not have had the session for a few days at the very least,” he wrote.
Ramesh also highlighted the fact that all 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, including seven from the ruling BJP, boycotted the Assembly session.
“Further, the fact that all 10 Kuki MLAs, including the 7 from the BJP, boycotted the Assembly session, shows the deep divide in the state and how the CM is unfit to take forward the peace process. The BJP, as always, has converted an opportunity into a formality,” Ramesh wrote.
The Manipur Assembly’s one-day session was abruptly adjourned sine die within an hour due to uproar from Congress MLAs who demanded an extension of the session to five days. Opposition MLAs, led by former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, argued that one day was insufficient to discuss the state’s prevailing situation, which is marked by unrest and ethnic violence.
The Congress leaders also criticised the assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh for rejecting several private members’ resolutions on urgent public interest. They accused the BJP government of evading its responsibilities to restore peace and harmony in Manipur.
“We demanded thorough discussion on the floor of the house on the present Manipur situation but the Chief Minister and the Speaker do not permit discussion. It shows that BJP government wanted to continue Manipur unrest,” Okram Ibobi Singh said.
Deputy Leader of the Congress legislature party Rajit Kangujam said that the opposition party staged a demonstration by hoisting a black flag in front of the Congress Bhavan in Imphal to mark what they called a ‘black day’ in the history of India’s parliamentary democracy.
Congress MLA Surjakumar Okram accused the Manipur and central BJP governments of suppressing the voices of opposition MLAs and the people of Manipur.
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