The one-day special session of the Manipur Assembly was on Tuesday adjourned sine die (for an indefinite period) after the Congress demanded that the House should convene for at least five days, PTI reported.
Former chief minister and Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh argued that one day was not enough to discuss the ethnic violence that broke out between the Kuki and Meitei communities in the Northeastern state on May 3.
At least 190 people have been killed and nearly 60,000 have been forced to flee their homes since then. Opposition parties have blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre and the state government for failing to control the violence.
On Tuesday, the proceedings in the House began at 11 am with a two-minute silence to remember those killed in the clashes.
“With great sorrow, we condole the deaths of those killed in the violence,” Chief Minister N Biren Singh said. “In times like these, words seem inefficient for those who have lost their loved ones in the strife.”
All 10 Kuki MLAs, including eight from the Bharatiya Janata Party, stayed away from the House, according to PTI. They had earlier announced a boycott of the session due to security concerns. However, all 10 Naga MLAs were present in the House.
The House passed a resolution that all differences should be addressed through dialogue and peaceful means for communal harmony in the state. It also urged the people of Manipur not to pay heed to divisionary elements and to maintain peace.
However, the Congress MLAs demanded that a longer session be held to discuss the situation in the state.
Initially, Speaker Th Satyabrata Singh urged the Opposition MLAs to sit down but subsequently ended the proceedings within an hour of commencement, saying that it was not possible to continue amid a ruckus.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that “fissures” within the BJP would have come out in “full display” had the session been extended.
“What a farce,” he said in a post on X. “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 BJP, as always, has converted an opportunity into a formality.”
The Assembly Session was convened by the Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey. Earlier, she had not issued a notification summoning the House, even though the state government had twice requested her to do so.
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