5 Manipur ministers fail to turn up at hearing before Speaker

IMPHAL, January 16: The political scenario in Manipur has become more complicated following the five ruling Front ministers' failure to turn up at the hearing summoned by the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly in connection with their disqualification case. The five ministers who were summoned for hearing are Sericulture Minister Hangkhanpao, Minister of State for Minorities, Allaudin, Minister of State for IFCD, K Tomba, Minister of State for Family Welfare, S Chandro and Minister of State for PHED, Onzamang Haokip. Mention may be made here that they were summoned by the Speaker on the basis of the supplementary disqualification petitions filed by the members of the Manipur Democratic Front (MDF) seeking disqualification of five of the seven ruling MLAs against whom the Speaker had earlier reserved his judgement on their disqualification, under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. Monday was the hearing day for all the five ministers but all of them failed to turn up at the hearing. When the mediapersons wanted to know why they had failed to turn up, the Speaker Sapam Dhananjoy Singh said that all of them had written separate letters to inform him that they were too unwell to come to the office of the Speaker to depose. The mediapersons then asked what further action the Speaker would take up against the ministers, the Speaker refused to disclose anything, saying that it was a very "confidential matter." It may be recalled here that the supplementary disqualification petitions against the five ministers been filed on January 13 before the office of the Speaker by the five members of the MDF. Consequently, as per the directive of the speaker the Assembly secretariat served summons on these five ministers.