West Bengal Guv Jagdeep Dhankhar summons Assembly session at 2 AM on March 7
Kolkata, Feb 24: In what may be a first of sorts in legislative history, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday summoned West Bengal's legislature for a session past mid-night at 2 AM on March 7.
Dhankar said he was merely acting on the recommendation of the Mamata Banerjee-led cabinet which he described as unusual, though both state government officials as well as the state's speaker Biman Banerjee said the request for calling the assembly session at 2 AM was a case of a simple typographical error where PM became AM.
If the session is indeed called at 2 AM at night, it will mean legislators will have to literally burn the midnight oil as well as Governor Dhankar who would have to give his opening speech at that odd hour.
In a tweet, Dhankar said that finding the timing of the session "after midnight somewhat odd," he had called the state Chief Secretary for urgent consultation before noon Thursday. However, "there was usual compliance failure," he complained.
Thereafter, he took the decision to call the house at the late hour "accepting the cabinet decision," the Governor said.
"Invoking article 174 (1) of Constitution, accepting Cabinet Decision, Assembly has been summoned to meet on March 7, 2022 at 2.00 A.M," he tweeted.
"Assembly meeting after midnight at 2.00 A.M. is unusual and history of sorts in making, but that is Cabinet Decision," Dhankar added.
The Governor in his tweet pointed out the proposal in the cabinet memo which he received from the state cabinet said, Now it is proposed that West Bengal Legislative Assembly may be summoned by Hon'ble Governor on 7.03.2022 at 2am.
The governor had earlier sent back a recommendation by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for summoning the Assembly for the Budget Session, saying that as per constitutional provision, it must come from the state Cabinet.
WB Guv: Summoning WBLA
— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) February 24, 2022
Invoking article 174 (1) of Constitution, accepting Cabinet Decision, Assembly has been summoned to meet on March 07, 2022 at 2.00 A.M.
Assembly meeting after midnight at 2.00 A.M. is unusual and history of sorts in making, but that is Cabinet Decision. pic.twitter.com/JEXKWYEIoQ
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
