Parliament extends President's Rule in Manipur by six months
New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI): Parliament on Tuesday approved a statutory resolution to extend President's Rule in Manipur for another six months beyond August 13.
The resolution, which was passed by the Lok Sabha last week, was approved by the Rajya Sabha, amid uproar by Opposition members over the issue of electoral rolls revision in Bihar.
As Opposition MPs continued their protests on SIR, Deputy Chairman Harivansh said it was a "constitutional obligation" to pass the resolution.
"It's a statutory resolution. All of us, as MPs, have to follow constitutional provisions. These have a time limit within which it has to be disposed of..." Harivansh said.
He then asked YSRCP member Subhash Chandra Bose Pilli to speak on the resolution. Opposition MPs however started raising slogans against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls exercise with TMP MPs raising slogans while standing next to the YSRCP member.
BJD MP Muzibulla Khan said, "When Manipur law and order situation was bad, Article 356 was imposed. Today, the situation of law and order in Odisha is bad..."
"Double engine government in Manipur failed.... Has the situation improved after so many months of President's Rule or not? Minister should inform us... The Centre should take responsibility, removing an elected government and imposing President's Rule repeatedly is also not good," he said.
Moving the resolution for passage in the House, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said a rift was formed between two communities in Manipur due to a court order.
"A rift was created between two communities in Manipur due to an order of the High Court related to a dispute on reservations. Those who say it is religious violence are wrong..." Rai said amid continued uproar by Opposition MPs.
Rai also said Home Minister Amit Shah had undertaken a tour of violence- affected areas in Manipur. "He (Shah) met high level officials, security forces, civil society members..." Rai said, claiming that the northeast has witnessed widespread development under the Narendra Modi-led government.
He also said since the President's Rule was imposed in Manipur, only one incident of violence has been reported.
The Rajya Sabha later approved the resolution with a voice vote.
The House also passed another resolution by voice vote that sought to amend the Second Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, 1975. The resolution was moved by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary.
Manipur was put under President’s Rule in February this year after Chief Minister N Biren Singh stepped down, nearly two years after the ethnic conflict began in the state between the valley-based Meitei community and the hills-based Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zo group of communities.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
