Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Monday suspended all seven Opposition MLAs for a day as they demanded a discussion over Manipur violence, reported PTI.

Tawadkar had initially suspended them for two days. However, he later reduced the suspension period to 24 hours.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and Congress MLA Yuri Alemao demanded a discussion on the violence in Manipur, adding that a private members’ resolution moved by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Cruz Silva last week on the Manipur issue was disallowed by the Speaker

“The government is not at all serious,” Alemao said. “Why should we not discuss Manipur?”

However, the Speaker said that the entire country is sensitive about the issue.

“The Union Home Ministry is dealing with the issue,” Tawadkar said. “The issue is discussed in Parliament. We cannot allow discussion on the issue on the floor of the House.”

The Speaker’s decision triggered a protest from the Opposition MLAs, who were all dressed in black.

Carlos Ferreira, Altone D’Costa and Alemao from the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva, Goa Forward Party leader Vijai Sardesai and Viresh Borkar of Revolutionary Goans Party, raised slogans and demanded a discussion on the matter.

While the Opposition MLAs protested, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party legislator Jit Arolkar, who supports the BJP-led government, continued to speak. Legislators from the Opposition then rushed towards him with posters and tried to prevent him from addressing the House, reported PTI. Following this, the Opposition members were taken out of the House by marshals.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the BJP was serious about the ethnic violence in Manipur, but the behaviour of the Opposition MLAs amounted to an “insult of the House”, reported ANI.

Manipur, which also has a BJP government, has been marred by ethnic violence between the Kukis and the Meiteis since May 3. So far 181 persons, including 113 Kukis and 62 Meiteis, have died in the violence and 60,000 have been displaced.

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