New Delhi, February 11: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh has raised concerns over the actions of the Manipur Governor, accusing him of violating Article 174(1) of the Indian Constitution, which mandates that there should be no more than a six-month gap between two consecutive legislative sessions.
The 7th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, which was scheduled to begin on February 10, was declared “null and void” by the Assembly Secretary K. Meghajit Singh on Sunday.
In a post on X, Ramesh questioned why the Governor had failed to summon the assembly, particularly after the resignation of Chief Minister Biren Singh on Sunday night, ahead of a scheduled no-confidence motion.
Ramesh cited Article 174(1), stating, “Today is the last day for a constitutionally mandated sitting of the Manipur Legislative Assembly‘s session. Article 174 (1) of the Constitution of India stipulates that there cannot be more than a 6-month gap between the last sitting of an assembly session and the first sitting of the next assembly session.”
He continued, “Why is the Manipur Governor violating Article 174(1) by not summoning the Manipur Legislative Assembly for its constitutionally mandated assembly session?”
Ramesh further alleged that the session was declared null and void because the BJP was unable to appoint a successor to the Chief Minister, against whom the Congress had planned to move a no-confidence motion. He also noted that Singh’s resignation on Sunday night left the BJP without a new CM candidate, prompting the Governor’s directive.
Speaking to ANI, Ramesh said, “According to the Constitution, there should not be a gap of more than six months between two sessions. Today, that 6-month period has ended. Yesterday, the Governor announced that this session will not take place. This is against the Constitution.”
Biren Singh resigned to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Sunday, nearly two years after violence erupted between the Meitei and Kuki communities. Singh’s resignation was accompanied by BJP president A Sharda, Sambit Patra, and at least 19 MLAs.
The violence in Manipur began on May 3, 2023, following a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM). The rally was a response to a Manipur High Court order directing the state to consider the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list.
Over 200 people have been killed in the ongoing ethnic conflict, and the situation in Manipur remains tense.