New Delhi, June 2
Manipur was tonight placed under President’s Rule, ending two weeks of political uncertainty following the defeat of the Radhabinda Koijam Ministry in the State Assembly.
Official sources said President K.R. Narayanan gave his seal of approval to the recommendation by the Union Cabinet to that effect.
The sources added that the State Assembly had been kept under suspended animation.
Earlier, the Union Cabinet today recommended the imposition of President’s rule in Manipur as no political group was able to form a government after the fall of the Koijam’s ministry.
“The Cabinet granted its approval and recommended to the President the imposition of Central rule in Manipur,” the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, said after Cabinet meeting.
To a question whether the opposition parties had been consulted before taking the decision, he merely said the “various political parties, including the Congress in Manipur have been demanding the imposition of the Central rule.”
The decision of the Centre to impose President’s rule in Manipur comes two days after the State Governor Ved Prakash Marwah sent his report to President K R Narayanan recommending the imposition of the Central rule.
Eversince Samata Party’s Radhabinod Koijam-led NDA government got defeated on the floor of the House on May 21, there was a political crisis in Manipur with no political formation able to muster the required numbers to form the government in the 60-seat assembly.
The Manipur Governor had sent the report recommending president’s rule in the state after a lapse of 10 days after Mr Koijam was voted out of power and 24 hours after the Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) leader and Assembly Speaker Dhananjoy Singh withdrew his claim to form a new government.
The state which had been witnessing political crisis since February due to resignation of two Chief Ministers owing to large-scale defections, suffered fresh political crisis on May 7 when 32 MLAs, including six Cabinet ministers, deserted the Koijam camp and switched loyalties to BJP leader R K Dorendra Singh.
