Manipur Speaker finally disqualifies minister for defection

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Imphal, March 28 (IANS) Amid the country's all-out fight against the spread of the COVID-19, the Manipur Speaker on Saturday disqualified a senior state minister as a member of the 60-member house.

Speaker Y. Khemchand Singh, in his 32-page order, disqualified state Forest and Environment Minister Thounaojam Shyamkumar as a member of the assembly with immediate effect till the expiry of the house's current term, which ends on March 28, 2022.

Following a petition filed by Congress leaders and legislators, the Supreme Court had, earlier this month, invoked the Constitution's Article 142, to disqualify Shyamkumar as a member of the house. The Congress leaders and MLAs in their plea told the apex court that he had violated the provisions of 10th Schedule of the Constitution.

Following the Supreme Court order, the Minister had submitted his resignation to the Speaker on March 26.

After a thorough hearing of both sides, the Speaker ordered Shyamkumar's disqualification.

Shyamkumar had won the 2017 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket. However, he switched over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) even before being sworn in as a Member of the house.

After cobbling up the numbers, the BJP had formed a coalition government and Shyamkumar was inducted into the cabinet headed by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.

In the 2017 elections in Manipur, the Congress had won 28 seats and the BJP got 21. However, the BJP allied with National People's Party to form a coalition government and Shyamkumar joined the alliance and was made a minister.

The latest development is likely to have political fallout since several MLAs of the BJP and its allies have been demanding a reshuffle of the council of ministers.

--IANS

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