Bengal Assembly's Special Session Fails to Pass Bills on MLA Pay Raise Due to Lack of Governor's Approval

Because governor C.V. Ananda Bose has not yet given his approval, the Bengal Assembly's special session on Monday was unable to adopt two proposals that would have increased the wages of ministers and MLAs by Rs 40,000 per month.

"The House just received the measures' introduction. We did not have the governor's necessary approval, thus they could not be introduced or passed. "They will be re-tabled for discussion in the upcoming Assembly session," stated State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay.

The bills have been placed on hold until December 4, when the Assembly will convene for its winter session, according to a leader.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced during the previous session that 294 MLAs, including cabinet ministers, would receive pay increases of Rs 40,000 per month. This announcement sparked criticism from a variety of sources, as some state government employees claim they are not receiving their due dearness allowance.

According to a Trinamul leader, the Assembly's one-day special session was organized solely to approve two laws, allowing the MLAs to receive their increased pay ahead of the holiday season. But repeated requests for the governor's approval were met with silence.

The BJP MLAs, led by Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition, objected to and destroyed copies of the measures in the Assembly, arguing that they were illegal because they had been introduced without the governor's approval.

Adhikari declared, "It was entirely unlawful to introduce the bill in the Assembly without the governor's approval." However, Trinamul asserted that the legislation' introduction was lawful and that the governor's approval was the sole reason they could not be passed.

The governor met with Trinamul general secretary Kunal Ghosh at Raj Bhavan during a period when he was refusing to sign off on the laws. According to a source, Ghosh delivered significant messages to governor C.V. Ananda Bose aimed at strengthening the bonds between Raj Bhavan and the state administration.

Ghosh stated it was a polite encounter but withheld the topic of discussion. "What I discussed with the governor is confidential. Although we merely had a polite meeting, I only spoke with him after receiving approval from Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee, two of my senior leaders, Ghosh added.