Social commentator Chongtham Bijoy on Monday alleged the 40 MLAs failed to take up their responsibilities during the present crisis and compared them to ‘deserters’, stating that there is no provision to punish them under the law.
Bijoy told the media at his Lamphel residence, Imphal West that among the 40 MLAs, there are some who are even hiding outside the state. It is time for these MLAs to come out and encourage the people by standing in the frontline and guiding the people, he said.
He pointed out that there is a huge difference between convening of a normal assembly session and the convening of a special assembly session in the Manipur Legislative Assembly while there is a Parliamentary session going on.
He said the people do not want to take resolutions against any ‘Separate Administration’ in Manipur Legislative Assembly but reach a unanimous decision to control the crisis and protect the territorial integrity and boundary of Manipur.
It is reported that on August 10 and 11, the prime minister and the Union home minister will be delivering a speech on the floor of Parliament. If a unanimous decision or resolution is taken in advance at the Manipur Legislative Assembly, then it could be good for the present crisis, Bijoy said.
He said that the Naga MLAs and Kuki MLAs of Manipur Legislative Assembly can take decisions after taking the consent of their community. He further questioned why the remaining 40 MLAs are not able to take the unanimous decision.
The people are demanding that the special session of Manipur Legislative Assembly be convened to find out whether the Prime Minister and the Union home minister respect the unanimous decision taken by MLAs of Manipur in a special session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, he mentioned.
The people are curious to know if the decisions of MLAs of Manipur are accepted or ignored, he added.
He said maintenance of law and order should be handled by the respective states while the defense minister of the center should take the responsibility for external aggression. If the government fails to control the external aggression in time, then there is a possibility of fulfilling the demand for a ‘homeland’ for the Kukis.
To defend from the attack of external aggression, the state assembly should resolve the issue under a unanimous decision to introduce a special gun policy, compulsory of NCC course for students or provide basic military training for the youths of Manipur.
The decision should be sent to the Union government whether it is accepted or ignored, Bijoy added.
Concerning the warning issued by minister Nemcha Kipgen that Bijoy must retract his statements against her and tender an apology publicly within 48 hours, he said that there is an ongoing case in the court and he will not comment on it as the matter is subjudice.
He said that there are a lot of things in Nemcha Kipgen’s statement, against which he can file a defamation suit. She may not have the knowledge of why he was actually terminated from the BJP, he said. He will surely file a defamation suit against her ‘for using various adjectives against him,’ he added.
