'Convening of House in Speaker's hands'

IMPHAL, February 9: Manipur Chief Minister Wagengbam Nipamacha Singh has said reconvening of the House to discuss the pending no-confidence motion against the ruling United Legislature Front (ULF) is in the hands of the Speaker S Dhananjoy, reports PTI. Nipamacha Singh told newsmen late last night that Governor Ved Prakash Marwah would prorogue the Assembly if the Speaker did not reconvene the House to discuss the motion. "If the House is prorogued, the Governor can issue fresh directive to the Speaker to reconvene the House to discuss the no-trust motion against the ULF", he said. The Chief Minister said he appreciated the Governor's letters to him and the Speaker asking for immediate reconvening of the House to discuss the motion and added that he had also written a letter to the Governor. He, however, did not divulge the content of the letter. Ruling front sources said state Cabinet had already recommended prorogation of the House for the third time to the Governor following the postponement of "reconvening the session by the Speaker on one pretext or the other". The Chief Minister expressed surprise at the strategy of the Opposition parties saying they had moved a no-confidence motion against the ruling front but were now afraid to discuss it. Meanwhile, Assembly secretariat sources said today that there was no indication so far for reconvening of the House by Monday next. If the session was to be reconvened latest by Monday following the Governor's directive, the notification must be issued by today as February 10-11 are holidays, the sources said. There was no instruction so far for issuing notification, the sources added. The Speaker had said yesterday he would reconvene the Assembly session "very soon" to discuss the no-confidence motion. He, however, did not specify a date. The Governor in his letter to the Speaker on February 7 asked him to reconvene the adjourned session and "consider the no-confidence motion against the Council of Ministers immediately". The Speaker had adjourned the House sine die on the opening day of the Winter session on December 1, after admitting the no-confidence motion, amidst pandemonium, leaving five including two ministers injured. He had subsequently extended for 45 days the time for taking up the no-trust motion from December 1. But the session has not been reconvened till date. "In his letter the Manipur Governor had warned of "serious consequences" if the Assembly session was not reconvened immediately to discuss the pending no-confidence motion against the ruling ULF. Our Manipur Correspondent reports : The Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly Sapam Dhananjoy is yet announce his decision on reconvening of the Manipur Assembly session despite having state Governor Ved Marwah's warning to reconvene as soon as possible. Talking to The Assam Tribune over telephone today the Speaker Dhananjoy said : "I will do my best to reconvene the House". Though he failed to give any specific date for the said session which is one of the much-awaited sessions in the Assembly's history in this border state of the country. Dhananjoy made it clear that "a reply will be submitted to the Governor within two or three days" in connection with the reconvening of session. The Speaker also informed all the ruling and Opposition members in the 59-member House about the Governor's notice to reconvene the Assembly.