Manipur Assembly adjourned sine die amid ruckus by Congress MLAs
What's the story
The Manipur Assembly's one-day session was reportedly adjourned sine die within an hour on Tuesday amid a ruckus by Congress MLAs.
The legislators were demanding that the session be extended to five days.
Earlier, the House proceedings began with a two-minute silence for those killed in Manipur's ongoing ethnic violence.
Meanwhile, most Kuki MLAs skipped the session following a boycott call by tribal organizations.
Details
Congress legislators said 1 day 'insufficient'
As the House proceedings began, Congress legislators demanded that the assembly session be extended.
Opposition legislators, led by Congress leader and ex-Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, said that one day was insufficient to address the crisis in the state.
Amid the sloganeering, the House speaker asked the protesting MLAs to settle down, which they did not, causing him to suspend the session indefinitely.
Facts
1-day assembly session 'eyewash': Singh
Singh had already opposed the one-day assembly session, terming it an "eyewash."
"I suggested that the session be held at least for five days to discuss the unprecedented situation in the state," the Congress leader said on Saturday.
The Manipur Assembly had last convened for the budget session during February-March, and the clashes that erupted on May 3 had pushed back the monsoon session.
Kuki MLAs
Kuki MLAs skip session over safety concerns
The much-awaited session was set to discuss the violence in the state that has been raging for nearly four months.
However, most of the Kuki MLAs, regardless of party affiliations, skipped the session over safety concerns.
On Monday, Union minister BL Verma reaffirmed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's stand that the situation in Manipur was "firmly under control" despite recent incidents of violence.
Reaction
Kuki-Zomi groups denounce reconvening of House
The decision to reconvene the House attracted sharp reactions from Kuki-Zomi organizations, which argued it was unsafe for Kuki MLAs to come to Imphal.
The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) and the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), among others, denounced the decision.
Meanwhile, Manipur minister Sapam Ranjan Singh said, "There cannot be any separate (Kuki) administration and the government is clear on this stand."
Fresh violence
Fresh flare-up in Manipur violence
In a fresh incidence of violence, three houses were set ablaze and weapons were snatched from security forces in Imphal on Sunday.
The fresh flare-up escalated tensions in Manipur, which has been embroiled in ethnic clashes following a May 3 protest by the Kukis against the Meiteis' demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The violence has killed around 180 people and displaced over 50,000.