Drop Henry: CPI urges

IMPHAL, Mar 27: Urging the Government to remove Okram Henry from his post as a Minister, Manipur State Council, CPI has submitted memoranda to the Governor, Chief Minister and Legislative Assembly Speaker today.
Notably, CPI State secretary L Sotinkumar had yesterday said that the party was submitting the memorandum and he had asked Okram Henry to step down as Minister immediately.
The Left leader had asserted that Okram Henry is holding the position “against” the Constitution and he had completed six months in office as a Minister without being a Member of the Manipur Legislative Assembly on March 24.
Sotinkumar had pointed out that the Article 164(4) of the Indian Constitution states that “a Minister who for any period of six consecutive months is not a Member of the Legislature of the State shall at the expiration of that period cease to be a Minister”.
The memorandum submitted today noted that Henry holding the position of a Minister exceeding the six months period after he was nominated is against the law. Election should be held and Okram Henry should win it if he has to continue serving as a Minister. It reiterated that Henry should be removed from the office or he must resign as a Minister immediately. Significantly, a case regarding the issue is pending before the Supreme Court and the hearing would be resumed after Holi holidays.
It may be mentioned that Okram Henry had won the 2017 General Assembly election on a Congress ticket from Wangkhei Assembly Constituency. He later resigned as an MLA and joined the BJP before his nomination as a Minister in the BJP-led Government.