As always, BJP converted opportunity into formality: Cong on one-day Manipur session

PTI, Aug 29, 2023, 6:30 PM IST

The Congress on Tuesday termed ”farce” the one-day Manipur Assembly session, saying had the House sat for a few more days ”fissures” within the BJP would have come out in ”full display”.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the BJP, as always, has ”converted an opportunity into a formality”.

The one-day session of the Manipur Assembly was adjourned sine die within an hour of commencement after Congress MLAs created an uproar demanding the session be extended to five days. Opposition MLAs led by former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said one day was not enough to discuss the prevailing situation in the strife-torn state.

All the 10 Kuki MLAs, including the seven from the BJP, were also absent from the House.

Ramesh said, ”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 said.

”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. The reason is simple: if the Assembly Session had functioned, the differences and fissures within the BJP would have come into full display and that too on the floor of the Assembly,” Ramesh said.

Further, the fact that all 10 Kuki MLAs ”boycotted” the session shows the deep divide in the state and how Chief Minister N Biren Singh is ”unfit” to take forward the peace process, Ramesh said.

The state government had last month recommended a session by August 21, but later revised it to August 28 after not getting a green light from the Raj Bhavan. Last week, the chief minister’s office announced the assembly will reconvene on August 29.

The previous assembly session was held in March and according to the norms, a session must be held every six months.

On Saturday, Ibobi Singh had said the session is an eyewash and not in public interest.

More than 160 people lost their lives and several hundreds were injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3.