Imphal, August 5: Amid the Opposition's demand for imposition of President's Rule in light of ethnic strife and violence that has ripped Manipur apart for the better part of three months now, the state Cabinet on Friday recommended that Governor Anusuiya Uikey summon a session of the Assembly on August 21. The Northeast state has been in the throes of violence, claiming over 100 lives so far and displacing thousands of people.
Clashes broke out between Metei and Kuki communities on May 3 days after the Manipur High Court asked the state government to consider adding the former, the majority community in the state, to the list of Scheduled Tribes. "The state cabinet has recommended to the Governor for summoning the 4th session of the 12th Manipur legislative assembly on 21st August 2023," read a notification issued on Friday.
The prevailing situation in Manipur triggered bedlam in both Houses of Parliament in the ongoing Monsoon Session, with the Opposition members stalling proceedings in demand for a discussion and a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a viral video, purportedly showing two women in the Northeast being stripped and paraded in the nude.
Adamant on their demand that all listed businesses in both Houses be suspended for a discussion on the Manipur situation, the Opposition members raised slogans and disrupted proceedings, resulting in repeated adjournments. A delegation from the Opposition alliance — I.N.D.I.A — recently visited Manipur over two days, during which they met displaced locals at relief camps and called on Governor Uikey.
The delegation briefed the Governor on their experiences from the two-day visit and handed a memorandum on Manipur. Later, an Opposition delegation led by Congress national president and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The delegates urged President Murmu to intervene in the interest of restoring peace in Manipur. Earlier, Manipur Police on Thursday said the situation in the Northeast state over the last 24 hours continued to be tense. In a press note on August 3, police said there were sporadic incidents of firing and mob congregation.
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