Manipur MLAs await profit shield

Imphal, May 18: Served with showcause notices for holding offices of profit, six Manipur legislators are hoping the Okram Ibobi Singh government will provide them with a shield during the forthcoming Assembly session.

The Election Commission has asked the six legislators to explain why they should not be disqualified following a petition to Governor S.S. Sidhu by the state unit of the BJP. The notices are returnable on or before May 25.

However, the Ibobi Singh government is unfazed by the showcause notices in view of the amendment made by Parliament to exempt 46 posts from the purview of the disqualification act.

The Manipur government is planning to pass a similar bill in the Assembly session scheduled to start from May 26.

?Yes, we have received the showcause notices. But we are not worried by the Election Commission?s move. A bill will be passed in the forthcoming Assembly session on the lines of the one passed by Parliament. Nobody will be disqualified,? said Bijoy Koijam, one of the six legislators.

The other five legislators are chairman of the Loktak Development Authority N. Loken Singh, chairman of Planning and Development Authority K. Ranjit Singh, chairman of the Manipur Pollution Control Board N. Biren Singh, former chairman of Tribal Development Corporation and now cabinet minister D.K. Korungthang and chairman of Programme Implementation Committee Y. Mani Singh.

Bijoy Koijam is currently the chairman of the Manipur Electronic Development Corporation. He said the Election Commission served the notice before Parliament passed the bill.

The chief minister requested the governor to summon the Assembly to pass a new legislation after Sidhu refused to give his assent to an ordinance proposed by the Ibobi Singh government in March.

A source said the Business Advisory Committee of the Assembly would meet tomorrow to decide on the agenda of the House and number of days of the session.