DPA, SPF fail to work out compromise formula

Imphal, June 14: The critical meeting held between the SPF and the DPA hours ahead of the Budget session this morning failed to work out a compromise formula and for the third time in a row, the Assembly session began without the participation of the Opposition bench. Still sticking to its guns of boycotting the Speaker, DPA members today said that they would approach the Governor tomorrow to intervene and save the basic ideals and norms of Parliamentary democracy. The start to the Budget session began in a dramatic manner with the DPA Opposition staging a walk out as soon as Speaker TN Haokip entered the Assembly to preside over the proceedings of the day at 11 am today. As the Opposjtion members staged the walk out, the Treasury bench thumped their desks in a manner of 'greeting' the protest of the Opposition. Earlier on the day at 9 am, the ruling Front and the Opposition DPA held a meeting at the Committee room of the Assembly to study the ground for working out a compromise formula and to convince the DPA not to go ahead with the boycott decision. The ruling Front was represented by Chief Minister O Ibobi, Legislative Affairs Minister L Nandakumar and Commerce and Industries Minister Th Debendra while the Opposition was led by RK Dorendra, M Nilachandra, O Joy and Dr Nimaichand Luwang. Despite fervent appeals from the side of the ruling bench to the Opposition, the meeting broke down as the DPA stuck to its guns and demanded that certain conditions be fulfilled for them to call off their boycott of the Assembly. The Opposition had decided to boycott the Assembly session as long as it is presided over by the Speaker after the Speaker himself rejected the no confidence motions moved against him by the Opposition bench during the 7th sitting of the 8th Assembly. The Opposition had also earlier turned down the 'tea invitation' of the Speaker and the meeting convened by the Legislative Affairs Minister to break the ice had also failed. Speaking to newsmen at the Assembly lobby after the Assembly session, O Joy who is also a member of the Assembly Rule Committee, said that the Opposition placed four conditions during the meeting held with the ruling Front today morning. The conditions included, resignation of TN Haokip from the chair of Speaker, if Haokip does not want to resign then he should not preside the Assembly, to allow a fresh no confidence motion to be moved against the Speaker and to allow a debate on the grounds on which the earlier two confidence motions moved against the Speaker were rejected. Elaborating, O Joy said that the name of TN Haokip has been linked to James Kuki, who is the prime accused in the murder of Elizabeth. The CBI has now taken up the case, reminded Joy and added that since there is every possibility of the CBI questioning TN Haokip in the case, he should resign from the post of Speakership, he added. As long as TN Haokip remains in office as the Speaker of the State Assembly, then the CBI will never be able to proceed with its investigation smoothly, said O Joy adding that there is no precedence in the history of India of a tainted person occupying the chair of Speaker of the Assembly. On the latest condition put up by the Opposition, O Joy said if the House agrees to admit a fresh no confidence motion against the Speaker, then it should be included in the list of business of the Assembly. The Opposition made it clear during the meeting that they are ready to attend the Assembly session if one of the conditions put forward is agreed to, said Joy. However as the ruling Front was not amenable to suggestions of the DPA, the boycott continued, he added. Contending that there were no grounds for rejecting the earlier no confidence motions moved against the Speaker, O Joy said in such a circumstance the Governor should not remain quiet but intervene. Faced with no other alternative, the Opposition approached the law Court, said O Joy. But there since the proceedings of the House were necessary for the Court to take up the case, the Speaker was asked to make the proceedings available to the Opposition, he said. But here again, the Speaker has refused to hand over the proceedings of the House on the ground that as the proceedings have not been printed it cannot be given to the members, said Joy and added that whatever the Speaker says cannot be construed as the rule and every member of the House have the right to know the proceedings of the House. It is learnt that the Assembly Secretariat quoting Direction number 115 of the Speaker had con veyed to the Opposition MLAs that the proceedings of the House cannot be supplied to any of the members of the House before it is printed and until the corrected speeches of the members concerned have received back. The message from the Assembly Secretariat said that the proceedings of March 4, 2004 have not yet been printed. Reacting to this, Joy said that as per the latest amendment of the Rule 339 of the Assembly Rule of Procedure Conduct of Business, all efforts should be taken up to ensure that the proceedings of the House are made available to the members in the shortest possible time. That the proceedings have been made available even after four months have elapsed shows that the Speaker wants to delay the Opposition from going to Court, contended O Joy. A directive from the Speaker cannot supersede the rules, he maintained and countered why the ruling Front is shying away from debating the grounds on which the no confidence motions raised against the Speaker were rejected.