The West Bengal Assembly today passed the West Bengal Panchayat (Amendment) Bill, 2014 amidst protest by Opposition members who complained that it would legalise defection from political parties in rural bodies in the state.
The Bill stated that it would safeguard any member of a rural body from disqualification who represented a faction comprising not less than one-third of total members of a political party if they voluntarily gave up its membership.
Panchayat and Rural Development minister Subrata Mukherjee said that the legislation did not violate the spirit of the Constitution.
Leader of the Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra told reporters that that legislation was a conspiracy by the ruling party and would help them to encourage switching of political loyalty to the ruling party.
Mishra also alleged that the legislation in a way legalised defection.
Senior Congress MLA Manas Ranjan Bhunia alleged that the legislation legalised defection which was a dangerous trend for parliamentary democracy.
