It is a foregone conclusion that the emergency session reconvened by the speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly on July 15 will resolve to withdraw the controversial Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers Bill, 2015 (MRVTMW Bill) passed by a similar session of the state assembly. It was a fact that the Bill, which turned out to be in stark contrast to the recommendations made by different sections of the society was tabled in the last assembly session and passed by the house after the speaker extended the session for two more days, unable to bear the pressure from the public domain.
All was not well even then, when the content of the bill was passed. Opposition MLA Dr. Ibohalbi, MLA Ibomcha, MLA Shyamkumar, ex-MLA Kh. Joykishan and MLA K Sharat strongly opposed the passing of the bill from the outset. Dr. Ibohalbi had rightly observed that he had suggested the house to pass on the bill to a select committee to study the content one after another. In a democracy, majority wins the vote, and the bill was passed as Congress MLAs has absolute majority in the house. It was indeed a bold step for these opposition MLAs to walk out of the house while passing the Bill.
Input from intelligence source has already warned the government that another agitation of the same magnitude may rise during the 11th session of the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly, which began from June 26.
There were 12 sittings in the recently concluded session, and as according to the advisory committee report of the state Assembly, no issue regarding the controversial bill was mentioned for discussion in the house.
It was only after a student was killed on July 8 due to the irresponsible behaviour of a state police personnel that the matter was forced into discussion in the house.
The July 9 assembly session witnessed the anger of the opposition MLAs, some even going to the speaker’s well prompting the speaker to adjourn the sitting for 10 minutes.
Home Minister Gaikhangam’s statement was about the incident in which a student was killed in police action and not about the core demand for withdrawal of the MRVTMW Bill passed by the house or the re-introduction of another bill which will include provisions to protect the original people of the state.
As the momentum of the peoples’ agitation went up a notch, the government was left with no choice but to convene a special session which perhaps is the first time in the history of Manipur Legislative Assembly after it’s shifting to the newly constructed building at Capitol Project.
Now the Chief Minister after convening a CLP meeting had resolved to call on a special session and following a cabinet meeting, the speaker of the Legislative Assembly has called an emergency sitting of the state assembly.
On July 15, people of the state will witness legislators favouring the public demand. And for sure the needs for public support will have surely prompted the whole of the legislators to unanimously resolve for withdrawal of the Bill which has been reserved by the Governor of the state for consideration of the President of India.
This paper had yesterday produced a piece on whether a bill waiting for consent of the president can be withdrawn or not.
Supposing, if the constitutional expert points out the way to withdraw the bill, and following that, if the bill is withdrawn, will the public end their agitation which had even cost the life of a student, besides injuring several others?
To put matters back into perspective, the people are demanding the introduction of a legislation to control the influx of outsider during this session. Question which is being asked by everyone is whether the government has finished preparing another bill that the people of Manipur will accept to be tabled and passed by the assembly session in a simultaneous manner?
Mr. CM and his cabinet Ministers need to be very careful and start working about tabling another bill within this 12 hours time by inviting all the representatives of the JCILPS. It is not the time for the CM to be worried about the reaction from the centre to his government because of the bill passed by the house. The public will definitely stand by a leader which possess the mental and ideological strength to stand up for his or her people. The public will now settle for nothing less.
