The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary– August 31, 2023; Day 461

Playing out a farce (a situation or an event that is so unfair or badly organized that it becomes silly): On government and legislature functioning in Manipur

The Manipur Assembly disregards duty by adjourning sine die (Without a date fixed (as of an adjournment)) at a time of crisis

Given what transpired (Come about, happen, or occur) on Tuesday, it is difficult not to term the functioning of the government and the legislature in conflict-ridden Manipur a farce being played out in the State. The Assembly met just before the stipulated (Make a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement) six months after the last session on March 3. Article 174(1) of the Constitution mandates that sittings have to take place within six months of the end of the previous session. Incomprehensibly (​in a way that is impossible to understand), the session was adjourned sine die just 48 minutes after it began; there was barely 11 minutes of business with 10 MLAs of the Kuki-Zo community also absent. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had reportedly invited the absentee Kuki MLAs to the House, by guaranteeing their security, but they denied having spoken to him and refused to buy the guarantee by pointing to the law and order situation in the Imphal valley. This reiterates (To say, state, or perform again) the breakdown of trust between legislators of one community and the government’s leadership despite a sharing of party affiliations. The session was originally set to convene (Meet formally) on August 21, but the Governor, Anusuiya Uikey, had, inexplicably (In an unexplained or unexplainable manner), not issued the notification summoning the House, despite the Cabinet’s advice to her on August 4. That legislative functions have been so poorly conducted when there are pressing (Compelling immediate action) issues related to the rehabilitation of displaced residents, the recovery of looted weapons, the persisting ethnic divide leading up to “economic blockades” and the sporadic (Recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances) violence, indicate the failure of a government that commands an electoral majority in the House.

The Manipur Assembly is no stranger to controversy. In its previous iteration (Doing or saying again; a repeated performance), little heed was paid to parliamentary conventions, as it was marked by rampant (Unrestrained and violent) defections, exemplified (Clarify by giving an example of) by the case of Congress MLA T. Shyamkumar, who became a Minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government and later stripped of (Strip of something

Means to take something away from someone, sometimes in a way that seems unfair or dishonest) his office by the Supreme Court which had lost patience with the Speaker’s inaction after his blatant (very obvious, with no attempt to be honest or behave well) violation of the anti-defection law. This time around, the BJP regime suffers a severe legitimacy deficit — in its inability to bring about a turnaround (A decision to reverse an earlier decision) in the deterioration of ethnic relations following the May 3 violence and to conduct proper legislative sessions to at least discuss a way out. Ethnic conflicts present complex problems, but the use of constitutional means is a must to enable workable solutions. As things stand, the two sparring (Fight verbally) communities in the State are veering (to change from one position, opinion, etc, to another) towards positions that are becoming even more intractable (very difficult to deal with) as the government continues to flounder (have difficulties). The BJP is mistaken if it continues to believe that its ham-handed (doing things in an awkward or unskilled way when using the hands or dealing with people) approach to retain the status quo in leadership will yield a breakthrough in the State.

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