Published 16:30 IST, August 11th 2020
From ban on live streaming to voting procedure:Congress cries foul over Manipur trust vote
A day after the BJP-led government in Manipur won the confidence motion by a voice vote, the Congress party on Tuesday termed it as a "murder of democracy".
A day after the BJP-led government in Manipur won the confidence motion by a voice vote, the Congress party on Tuesday termed it as a "murder of democracy". First, it slammed the Assembly Speaker's decision to reject the opposition MLAs' demand for conducting the trust vote by the division of votes. It also questioned the ban on live streaming of the trust vote proceedings.
Moreover, Congress lamented that the Manipur government had not designated an entire day for a discussion on the COVID-19 crisis. The party accused BJP of destroying democracy inside the "temple of democracy". It affirmed that the people would not forgive BJP for allegedly trampling upon established democratic conventions.
Trust vote proceedings
The N Biren Singh-led government's victory on the floor of the Assembly brought to an end the political uncertainty prevailing in the state since June 17, when 9 MLAs including the Deputy CM withdrew support to the BJP government. 8 out of 24 Congress MLAs stayed away from the Assembly proceedings despite the party issuing a whip to vote against the trust motion moved by the Chief Minister. The government was supported by 28 members including the 4 NPP MLAs on the floor of the Assembly.
Meanwhile, two Congress legislators Th Lokeshwar and Mirabai Devi reportedly threw chairs and benches in the Assembly alleging that the confidence motion was not conducted properly. Expressing his joy, Manipur CM's advisor Rajat Sethi observed that the Congress party's "devious plan" to destabilize the government had failed. In a major jolt, 6 out of the 8 abstaining Congress MLAs submitted their resignations to the Speaker on the same day.
Legislators Henry Singh, Oinam Lukhoi, Md Abdul Nasir, Paonam Brojen, Ngamthang Haokip, and Ginsuanhau cited lack of trust in the leadership of Okram Ibobi Singh. They blamed him for the failure in forming the government in the state despite being the single-largest party in the Assembly. If the Speaker accepts the resignation of the aforesaid MLAs, the effective strength of the Manipur Assembly shall drop to 47.
Updated 16:30 IST, August 11th 2020