Kolkata: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose dismissed allegations on Sunday that eight Bills passed by the state assembly were pending with the Raj Bhavan.
According to Mr. Bose, out of these Bills, six were forwarded for consideration by President Draupadi Murmu, while one is currently subjudice. Regarding the eighth Bill, despite calls for clarifications, no representative from the state government attended the Raj Bhavan.
Mr. Bose clarified the situation in response to a news report claiming that the Bengal government had approached the Supreme Court over eight Bills allegedly pending with the Governor. He refuted this, stating to PTI from Kerala, “This is incorrect as not a single Bill is pending with the Raj Bhavan.”
The Mamata Banerjee government had earlier moved the Supreme Court, accusing Mr. Bose of delaying action on these Bills without providing any reasons.
“The government’s actions or proposed actions in this matter should be reported as per Article 167 of the Constitution of India,” Mr. Bose added. Article 167 outlines the responsibilities of the Chief Minister in relation to the Governor.
Mr. Bose questioned the government’s decision to move the court without verifying facts, emphasizing that six amendment Bills from 2022 concerning various state universities were reserved for the President’s consideration. Additionally, the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, related to the appointment of vice-chancellors, is currently under judicial review.
An official from the Raj Bhavan explained that the West Bengal Town and Country (Planning & Development) (Amendment) Bill, 2023, required clarifications from the state government, for which the Principal Secretary was requested to visit. However, there has been no response from the government so far.