Newmai News Network
Imphal | July 20
Former Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh on Saturday stressed the need for amendment of the 10th Schedule to the Indian Constitution, popularly referred to as the ‘Anti-Defection Law’.
The three times chief minister of Manipur said that the need for putting in place a stringent law to check the menace of defection by elected members of the legislative assembly.
"Provisions like disqualification of defected legislators within 24 hours and banning of legislators, once disqualified under the schedule, from contesting elections for lifetime must be inserted", Ibobi said.
He then criticised legislators who defected from one party to another saying that they are the "power hunger politicians".
The suggestion of the former chief minister came up at a time his party in Manipur was facing a serious blow after eight of the 28 legislators of the party in the state Assembly have defected to the BJP.
Ibobi is currently the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly. He was talking to reporters on the sideline of a sit-in-protest staged here against the detention of party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Priyanka was detained and stopped from going to Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh on Friday. She was going there reportedly to meet the families of the Sonbhadra shootout victims.
Denouncing the detention of Priyanka, Ibobi strongly charged the BJP that the latter had made a mockery of democracy.
"Detention of Priyanka was nothing but suppression of her democratic right, besides attacking the Congress", he alleged.
Ibobi also said that the Congress was staging the protest against the detention of the Priyanka not in the party interest but to save and protect the democracy in the country.
He then compared the incumbent government both at the Centre and state to the rule of dictators "who gagged the voices of people".
The former chief minister added that it will be impossible for the BJP to root out the Congress.
Among others, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Gaikhangam, former minister DD Thaisii and several other leaders of the party took part in the protest staged in front of the Imphal Congress Bhavan.
Talking to reporters, Gaikhangam observed that the detention of Priyanka Gandhi was a challenge to the democracy. She should be released immediately, he demanded.
"Detention of Priyanka is an undemocratic act of the incumbent government. It only exposed the dictatorial attitude of the BJP government and its repeated attempt to trample democracy for the sake of power", he alleged.
