No bill pending with Raj Bhavan, State govt. aiding illegal migration: Bengal Governor

West Bengal Governor denies pending bills, raises concerns over illegal migrants and urges respect for constitutional provisions.

Days after the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre and the West Bengal Governor over delay in clearing eight bills passed by the State Assembly, Governor C.V. Ananda Bose told The Hindu in an interview that no bill was pending with the Raj Bhavan. The Governor brought up the issue of “illegal migrants” entering West Bengal and said they were getting identity documents and Aadhaar cards, “arguably or allegedly aided and abetted by the State government.”

“To my knowledge, the only bill pending in the Kolkata Raj Bhavan are the fuel bills. The West Bengal government has to release the money. No bill passed by the Assembly is pending in the Raj Bhavan,” he said. “Eight bills are said to be pending. Six of them have been reserved for the President of India and one bill is sub-judice. The other bill, I asked the Principal Secretary concerned to come and offer some clarifications, the government in its wisdom decided not to do so,” Mr. Bose said.

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While six bills pertaining to appointment of vice-chancellors in State universities are pending since June 2022, the other two bills were passed in August 2023.

On Friday, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Governor over the pending bills after the West Bengal government moved the apex court. Mr. Bose said the decision of the top court will be accepted “in letter and spirit”.

Asked about the increasing instances of confrontation between Governors and elected representatives in non-BJP governed States, the Governor said, “Constitutional provisions are to be respected even if it is inconvenient to the elected government.”

Mr. Bose said “there is absolute clarity” in the Constitution and requested his “esteemed colleague the Chief Minister [Mamata Banerjee] to read the lines before reading between the lines.”