New Delhi: The Manipur cabinet on Friday urged Governor Anusuiya Uikey to convene a state Assembly session on August 21, news agency PTI reported. The last Assembly session was held in March. “The State Cabinet has recommended to the Hon’ble Governor of Manipur for summoning the 4th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly on the 21st August, 2023,” a notification issued by the cabinet read.
Earlier last month, the state Congress had urged the Governor to convene an emergency session of the Assembly to discuss the ongoing violence in the northeast state, PTI reported.
“The Assembly is the most appropriate forum to discuss the situation and get suggestions on how to restore peace in the state rocked by ethnic strife since early May,” five Congress MLAs, including CLP leader Okram Ibobi Singh, wrote in a letter to Governor Uikey.
According to the PTI report, Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev, who was a part of the Opposition delegation that went on a two-day visit to the strife-torn state last month to take stock of the ground situation, had said, “Democracy is all about accountability… We feel there should be a no-confidence motion against the chief minister for his failure to control the situation.”
Meanwhile, the Manipur government relaxed the curfew in two districts of Imphal for seven hours on Friday in a bid to ensure the common people could buy essential items. The development came a day after the government imposed the curbs following fresh spate of violence, withdrawing the relaxations that were announced earlier.
The curfew was relaxed in Manipur’s Imphal East and West districts from 5am to noon on Friday.
According to the orders issued by districts magistrates of Imphal East and West, the curfew was relaxed in a bid to “facilitate the general public to purchase essential commodities, including medicines and food items.”
It is to be noted that the curfew was re-imposed in Imphal West and Imphal East after clashes broke out between security forces and the public in Churachandpur district.