Manipur Assembly may be put under suspended animation

With the six-month duration to conduct a mandatory meeting of the Manipur Assembly ending tomorrow and Governor AK Bhalla already having revoked permission for the Budget session that was to commence on February 10, there is a strong likelihood of the Assembly being placed under suspended animation.

Sources said an official notification regarding this could be issued by Raj Bhavan in Imphal anytime soon.

The political crisis had deepened in Manipur, which has been facing ethnic clashes since May 2023, on February 10 after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned from the post, hours after he met Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

Biren submitted his resignation to the Governor, who accepted it and revoked the permission granted earlier to summon the Budget session. The opposition Congress had planned to move a no-confidence motion against Biren.

The Manipur Assembly had last met on August 12, 2024, and according to Article 174(1) of the Constitution, the legislative body cannot remain inactive beyond a six-month duration, which ends on February 12.

If no alternative measures are adopted by February 12, a constitutional crisis may unfold, necessitating either the appointment of a new Chief Minister, imposition of President’s Rule or the suspension of the Assembly’s functioning.

Amid these developments, BJP’s Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra, along with state unit president A Sharda and several party MLAs visited Raj Bhavan on Tuesday evening. The delegation did not speak to the media after the meeting with the Governor.

Meanwhile, sources said the security deployment arrangements in the state, especially in Imphal, were normal and no additional reinforcements had been summoned.

The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), meanwhile, strongly criticised the Governor’s decision to declare the summoning of the Assembly session as null and void, calling it “illegal and unconstitutional”.

MPCC president Keisham Meghachandra Singh expressed concerns over the constitutional validity of the move, warning of a possible crisis in the state. "The orders issued by the Governor declaring the summoning of the Assembly session as null and void are illegal and unconstitutional. There is no provision in the Constitution that grants the Governor such powers," said Keisham. He also accused the Centre of failing to take the crisis seriously, stating that the situation was deeply unfortunate for Manipur’s political stability.