TMC MLAs protest in Assembly over guv 'delay' to clear bill

Slamming Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar over "delay in bill clearance", TMC MLAs on Tuesday staged a protest on West Bengal Assembly premises here.

The legislators, along with state ministers, claimed that the governor was "withholding" important bills, which needed to be tabled in the Assembly for discussion.

"Is this the way a governor functions? He is not allowing the state assembly to run properly. Since last week, we have not been able to discuss any new bill as the governor is not giving his nod.

"The SC & ST commission bill, among other legislations, is waiting for his clearance," Tapas Roy, minister of state for parliamentary affairs, said.

Dhankhar has been at loggerheads with the TMC government over a number of issues, since assuming charge as the governor of West Bengal.

The relation between the ruling party and the governor hit a new low after Speaker Biman Banerjee last week adjourned the House for two days as bills slated to be placed in the Assembly were yet to get his nod.

The claim was, however, refuted by the Raj Bhavan, which, in a statement, termed the situation "factually untenable".