Imphal: The newly reinstated Manipur govt led by CM Yumnam Khemchand won the confidence of the Manipur assembly on Thursday through a voice vote on a motion moved by the chief minister.Amid opposition by Kuki-Zo groups to their MLAs taking part in govt formation, three Kuki-Zo MLAs, including Nemcha Kipgen, who was sworn in as a deputy chief minister on Wednesday, attended the 7th session of the 12th Manipur assembly virtually.
The other two MLAs, LM Khaute and Ngursanglur Sanate, had physically attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister and his council of ministers on Wednesday but joined Thursday’s assembly session virtually.The 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs had skipped three previous assembly sessions after clashes erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, and the Kuki-Zo community pushed the demand for a separate administration.During Thursday’s session, speaker Th Satyabrata approved allowing members who are not able to be physically present at the assembly to attend virtually, after MLAs accepted the proposal of the CM to allow the same, citing a precedent of Madhya Pradesh assembly.Khemchand called upon all MLAs to work collectively towards bridging the trust deficit between the two communities in the state and restore peace and harmony.He recounted Manipur had witnessed episodes of violence in the past in the 1990s as well and one should not blame the other.The chief minister appreciated the MLAs of the opposition Congress for expressing readiness to extend full cooperation to the govt in instilling a peaceful atmosphere in the state.
