Mizoram Opp walk out over denial of speech

AIZAWL, January 18: The entire Opposition staged a walkout on Wednesday night in the State Legislative Assembly protesting the break in the "well-laid-down parliamentary conventions", just before the voting on the motion of thanks on the Governor's address, report agencies. According to main Opposition Mizo People's Convention (MPC) president and leader of the Opposition Lalhmingthanga, the age-old parliamentary norm of inviting the Opposition leader to either initiate or wind up a discussion was ignored for the fourth time in the Assembly when a member of the Treasury bench was invited to speak after him before winding up the discussion on the motion of thanks on the Governor's address, tabled on Tuesday. "To protest this, the entire Opposition, including the Congress staged a walkout," he told UNI. Though the Opposition, consisting of 18 MPC and six Congress MLAs, walked out at about 8 pm, the Treasury benches consisting of 21 members of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and one Independent voted in favour of the motion, Lalhmingthanga said.