|
Manipur : President’s rule extended |
 |
The Lok Sabha on November 20 approved the extension of President’s Rule in Manipur by another six months from December 1. During the two-hour long debate, the Congress, the major opposition party, supported the extension of Central rule in the state as an unavoidable step at the present juncture.
Home Minister L.K. Advani who piloted the Bill, assured the House that Assembly elections in Manipur will be held along with Uttar Pradesh and Punjab early in February or March next. He told the members that though the Election Commission had not yet made any formal announcement regarding the poll in UP, Manipur elections could be held simultaneously.
Manipur came under President’s Rule on June 2 as the BJP and the Samata parties fell out on running the local government since they failed to check defections from their ranks. In fact, both parties encouraged defections from other parties to bolster their numbers and to come to power. Out of the 42 members of the ruling coalition in Manipur as many as 40 found a berth as Ministers as coalition managers tried to save their governments.
Sharing the members’ concern on large-scale defections by Manipur MLAs which precipitated the present crisis, Advani said there is a need to review the anti-defection law which makes defection by a single person a crime, but not that by a group of individuals.
|
