Chief Minister clears BJP doubt over Assembly session duration

IMPHAL, February 17: Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi SIngh said today that politicians who keep changing their political parties should instead quit politics.

He said those politicians who had defected from the Congress into the Manipur Peoples’ Party and the Bharatiya Janta Party as if they are doing business should quit active politics.

He was speaking at a one day women convention on “Awareness program on social issues” held at the complex of Kongpal Chanam Lekai Development Organization at Kongpal Chanam Leikai under Imphal East's Kshetrigao Kendra organized by the Manipur Youth Congress.

The women convention was participated by volunteers of the Youth Congress from various constituencies of Manipur.

Also in attendance were top officials of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee besides the Secretary of All India Congress Party, Shanimol Osmal.

Speaking at the function Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh while condemning the actions of politicians who hop from one party to another, said it is really unfortunate for the state politics.

The Chief Minister said  it is really unfortuante that someone who has been a member of the MPP and the president of the BJP, state unit is uninformed about the Manipur Legislative Assembly proceedings.
"The BJP leader himself was in the State Aassembly for a long time. He knew the norms of the Assembly. A Business Advisory Committee comprising of representatives of political parties having elected members of the legislative Assembly decides how many days the forthcoming assembly session will go on," he said, alluding to the recent BJP statement that the forthcoming 3 day Assembly session is not adequate to discuss the budget.

He pointed out that the Congress party only do not decide on how many days the Assembly session will take place and pointed out that the forthcoming session is about the tentative budget with four months of supplementary vote of accounts upto Aprii. The budget session for full budget cannot be held before the finalization of the annual plan.

He also stressed the participation and involvement of women in law making and decision making and other issues including access to education.

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh also said that in the past few years, toppers in the Class X and XII examinations had been girls; which is an example of development in the state, he added.

The Congress party has been taking up several steps to empower the women from the grass root level, he continued.
Speaking at function, MPPC president Gaikhangam said that women should make efforts to bring the status of women to a high one by respecting  each other . It is time for women to refrain from looking down upon each other and the public also should not despise women. He observed that In the last Panchayat elections, women’s support for women candidates were very low  in Manipur.

Meanwhile, Shanimol Osmail said women of the state have always been a frontrunner in several issues.
Under the able leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the party has been putting in efforts to strengthen the youths of the country, she said.