Manipur: Congress seeks fresh confidence motion, says trust vote won by govt illegal

Congress Legislature Party leader Okram Ibobi Singh petitioned Governor Najma Heptulla seeking a special Assembly session under Article 174 of the Constitution for the conduct of the trust vote.
Former Manipur CM Ibobi Singh (Photo | AFP)
Former Manipur CM Ibobi Singh (Photo | AFP)

GUWAHATI: Opposition Congress in Manipur has demanded a fresh trust vote after rejecting the August 10 vote of confidence as “inconclusive and procedurally-illegal”.

Congress Legislature Party leader and former CM Okram Ibobi Singh petitioned Governor Najma Heptulla on Friday seeking a special Assembly session under Article 174 of the Constitution for the conduct of the trust vote. He claimed that the laid-down rules and some Supreme Court judgments were violated during the earlier trust vote.

The Congress said it had requested Speaker Yumnam Khemchand Singh to fix a day for the motion of confidence by a division under Rule 360 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Assembly as the whip was issued to the Congress MLAs. However, “disregarding” the request, the Speaker used a voice vote to decide on the trust motion, the party said.

“The six-page representation cited violations of Rules 311 & 360 of Procedures & Conduct of Business of Manipur Assembly under 208 of the Constitution and Supreme Court judgments in Union of India Vs Harish Rawat of 2016 & Shivraj Singh Chauhan Vs Speaker MP of 2020,” Congress spokesman Ningombam Bupenda Meitei said.

He said Okram Ibobi’s letter to the Governor was a clear reflection of the “unprecedented constitutional blunder” committed on the floor of the House.

“It was not only the murder of democracy but also the commission of the violations of established procedures, abuse of the chair of Speaker, destruction of the Constitution and dishonouring of the Supreme Court’s judgments. The Congress expects Governor to intervene,” Meitei added.

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