WB assembly to ratify Constitution 126th Amendment Bill

The West Bengal Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution to ratify the Constitution 126th Amendment Bill, 2019 for a continuation of seats for SCs and STs in the state assembly.

The Bill called for the continuation of seats for SCs and STs for another ten years upto January 25, 2030, in state assemblies.

The resolution, which was passed by two-third majority, will now be sent to the Centre.

Initiating the discussion on the resolution, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said the state government will always protect the rights of SCs, STs, OBCs, tribals and minorities and the Bill was timely.

Taking part in the debate, opposition Congress leader Abdul Mannan said the government has alleged that some of the opposition MLAs are conspiring with the Raj Bhavan to hold up some of the bills tabled by the state, including the bill on SC and STs.

"Cutting across party lines we should identify those who have been involved in such an act. I urge the Hon'ble Speaker to call a special session to discuss the issue of some legislators allegedly conspiring with the Governor," he said.

CPI(M) MLA and former minister Ashok Bhattacharya said the ruling BJP at the Centre is against Dalits and Christians while the Trinamool government at state is not doing much to address their plight.

Bhattacharya said the previous Left Front government had provided land to 50 lakh farmers and a sizeable part of them were tribals.

Chatterjee, who is also the state higher education minister, in his reply said that in 34 years of CPI(M) rule nothing had been done to improve the conditions of the SCs, STs and tribals in the state.

Chatterjee said that 2.5 lakh persons have got contractual jobs during the TMC rule and many of them are from SC and ST communities. He asked the opposition not to see everything through the "prism of negativism".

He listed a number of projects the TMC government has undertaken for the "marginalised people" and disputed opposition claims that allocation for governments projects has been diverted for other use.

Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay then adjourned the house sine die.