Kolkata: A resolution to create a Legislative Council in West Bengal was passed in the state assembly on Tuesday despite severe opposition by the BJP legislators on this count. The resolution were passed by a majority with 196 MLAs voting in favour of it, while 69 voted against them.
The creation of a legislative council was one of the key poll promises made by the ruling Trinamool Congress in their manifesto for the 2021 state assembly elections. To recall, immediately after becoming the chief minister for the first time in 2011, chief minister Mamata Banerjee proposed to pass a similar resolution for the creation of a legislative council. But later the state’s ruling party could not go ahead with the proposal.
Opposing the move, BJP legislator and the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari said that at a time when the state is running with a cash-strapped exchequer, bearing additional expenses to create a legislative council is totally unnecessary. He also said that the legislative council is intended to provide legislative space for those Trinamool Congress leaders who either did not get nominations in the last elections or got defeated in the elections. “We are in majority in the Parliament. We will oppose this proposal. This is nothing but giving a backdoor entry to the Trinamool ministers who have lost the elections, including the chief minister," Adhikari said.
Read: AP Cabinet okays resolution to abolish Legislative Council
However, the ruling party claimed that if states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh can have their own legislative council, what is the harm in doing the same in the case of Bengal. Party secretary-general and the state’s commerce & industries and legislative affairs minister, Partha Chattopadhyay said that the party who is opposing this proposal today supported it in 2011. “What is the reason for opposing it now? This proposal is in the interest of West Bengal,” he said.
Currently, six Indian states namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana and Karnataka have legislative councils. Even Bengal had its own legislative council which was abolished in 1969.
Read: AP Cabinet okays resolution to abolish Legislative Council
