Manipur cabinet recommends governor to summon assembly session on Aug 21

The Manipur cabinet on Friday recommended Governor Anusuiya Uikey to convene a session of the assembly from August 21.

The previous assembly session was held in March, and violence broke out in the state in May.

"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," an official statement said.

Among others, the Congress had urged Governor Uikey to convene an emergency session of the assembly to discuss the "ongoing unprecedented turmoil" in the state.

"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," the state's five Congress MLAs said in a letter to the governor last month.

TMC leader Sushmita Dev, who was part of a delegation of opposition MPs that visited the state, recently told PTI, "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." Earlier, several MLAs of the Kuki community have called for a separate administration for their areas.

BJP MLA P Haokip had in an interview to PTI last week said, "The way forward, as I see it, is for the Union government to give political and administrative recognition to the ethnic separation, where the state of Manipur is reorganised as three Union territories." The ethnic violence which broke out in May has sporadically continued to plague Manipur for the last three months and has claimed more than 160 lives.

The state, which remains curfew bound, has seen a recent flare-up of hostilities between the two warring communities -- the Meiteis and Kuki-Zomis, after an announcement of a public mass burial of tribals killed during the ongoing race riots.

Tension between the two communities also heightened after talks between former Kuki militant organisations and the Centre were re-started.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.