Manipur Congress demands longer Assembly session, opposes three-day sitting

The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has strongly objected to the decision to hold the upcoming session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly for only three days, calling for an extension of the sitting period.

The issue was raised during a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Manipur Legislative Assembly held on Tuesday ahead of the session, which is scheduled to begin on September 2.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Congress Legislature Party leader Keisham Meghachandra Singh said Manipur is currently facing several critical issues, including NRC updation, displacement and the economic blockade, which require detailed discussion on the floor of the House.

He said it was unfortunate that the government had approved only three days of sitting at a time when the state was dealing with multiple challenges.

According to Meghachandra, provisions of the Manipur Legislative Assembly require at least 50 days of sitting in a year. He alleged that despite Manipur being a conflict-affected state, the number of Assembly sittings has remained inadequate and described the move as unconstitutional.

The Congress leader said the party had demanded an extension of the session and submitted a dissent note before the BAC.

He appealed to the authorities to increase the number of sitting days, arguing that the prevailing situation in Manipur requires adequate time for legislators to raise public concerns and hold detailed discussions on matters affecting the state.