Governor seeks more inputs from state on lynching, SC/ST Bills

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar has sought more inputs from the state government and legislature for giving assent to two Bills - one to check incidents of mob assaults and lynching, and another for setting up a commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The West Bengal (Prevention of Lynching) Bill, 2019, and The West Bengal State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Bill, 2019 were passed by the state Assembly on August 30 last year.

"Further headway can be made only after inputs are made available by the state government and the state legislature, as such inputs are exclusively with them as regards the issues raised and it is expected that highest priority will be given so that legislative work does not suffer," a Raj Bhawan statement said here on Friday.

"The delay is being occasioned in consideration of these Bills for want of information and attention of the concerned has been drawn severally and at all levels," the statement said.

The West Bengal (Prevention of Lynching) Bill was supported by the opposition Congress and CPI(M) but opposed by the BJP whose contention is that this legislation might be used to settle political scores.

The governor, however, has given his nod to The Hindi University, West Bengal, Bill 2019 and the West Bengal Lifts, Escalators and Travelators Bill, 2019.

About these two Bills, Dhankhar indicated that inputs sought from the state government were not forthcoming for quite some time and the delay was caused due to that.

"However, due diligence and assimilation of relevant information was done at the level of the office of the governor and after consideration, consent has been accorded", the statement added.