Manipur Congress legislature denounces for short assembly session

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, July 24, 2018: Manipur Congress Legislature Party has today denounced the Business Advisory Committee of Manipur Legislative Assembly for refuting its demand to extend the monsoon session duration to minutely discuss burning issues of Framework Agreement, Manipur University impasse and Citizenship Bill.

Former Manipur chief minister and Manipur Congress Legislature leader Okram Ibobi told reporters at Congress Bhavan, said vital issues had not been discussed properly due to short Assembly session.

The monsoon Assembly session concluded yesterday.

“We wanted to share the government in playing a constructive role for the state. The business advisory committee denied our appeal to extend the session at least for 2-3 more days so that we could discuss in minutely over the hot issues,” said Ibobi.

He said of all the issues the Framework Agreement issue is the most important. The House reaffirmed its stand for safeguarding territorial integrity of Manipur. It failed to discuss in the over the recent development of the Framework Agreement of giving ‘special status’ to the Nagas to settle the NSCN-IM issue, added Ibobi.

When there was UPA government at the Centre the interlocutors took comments from Manipur, Assam and Arunachal governments for the Naga peace talk. But when the NDA government came, these state governments have been avoided, he added.

We always apprised our stand to the past Union government that NSCN-IM should be confined in Nagaland and within the designated camp as per the ground rule of the cease-fire with the government of India. The BJP led government should take the stand like the Congress, said Ibobi.

“The Framework Agreement contents are concealed in the dark. What is there in the “Special Status” that is offered to Nagas as revealed by R.N. Ravi recently on the outcome of the settlement of the Naga accord? “We will not allow a state within a state,” he added.

Ibobi said the Manipur University issue can be solved in few minutes by transferring vice-chancellor A. P. Pandey to another University, he added.

The issue of Citizenship Bill too need an extensive discussion, said former chief minister Ibobi.