Dhankar Calls Procedure For Summoning WB Assembly 'Flawed'

The chief secretary was asked to apprise the governor personally regarding the "flawed procedure" at the earliest, so that consideration of the issue is not delayed, the press release said.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 1 March 2022 12:25 pm

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar Addressing The Press In Raj Bhavan

Following the quandary over summoning the West Bengal Assembly for the Budget session, state Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar directing the chief secretary to respond in writing to the "flawed procedure" flagged by him on a state Cabinet decision seeking to summon the House on March 7.

The Cabinet on Monday sent a fresh proposal to the governor for convening the assembly at 2 PM on March 7 after Dhankhar summoned the House at 2 AM on that day on the basis of a communiction that had earlier been sent to him.

State authorities had said that the time of "2 AM" was a typographical error in the proposal that had been sent by the Cabinet and it should have been "2 PM".

"Chief Secretary Hari Krishna Dwivedi, who called on Hon'ble Governor Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today in connection with summoning of Assembly at 2 PM on March 07 in pursuance to February 28 cabinet decision, has been directed to respond in writing to the issues flagged," Dhankhar tweeted.

The Cabinet decision seeking to convene the Assembly at 2 PM on March 7 reached the governor on Monday evening.

A Raj Bhavan press release said that the governor has noticed "that the record made available by the government seeking to summon the Assembly on March 7 at 2 PM in pursuance to February 28 Cabinet decision is wanting in compliance of prescriptions in the Rules of Business framed under Article 166(3) of the Constitution...."

According to Art 166(3), the governor shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the government of the state, and for the allocation among ministers of the said business in so far as it is not business with respect to which the governor is by or under this Constitution required to act in his discretion.

When contacted, a Raj Bhavan official said that the article is "self-explanatory", without elaborating further.

Saying that a history of sorts was in the making, the governor on February 24 summoned the state Assembly at the unusual hour of 2 AM on March 7. He had said that the decision to convene the House at that time was as per the recommendation of the state Cabinet.

(With PTI Inputs)