Kolkata, June 29: The West Bengal Assembly is set to present four significant bills on Monday. These include amendments to the Backward Classes Commission and changes to OBC reservations. The other two bills aim to combat corruption and curb criminal activities in the state.
However, uncertainty looms over whether a proposed bill regarding the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be introduced. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari may announce the formation of a committee, chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge, to finalize the UCC bill’s framework.
Officials from the Assembly Secretariat and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have not officially confirmed either possibility. However, sources familiar with the developments suggest that emphasis is being placed on the latter option. Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, a retired Supreme Court judge, may be approached to chair the committee.
Discussions about the UCC bill began after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari arrived at the Assembly on June 25. During his speech in the first part of the Assembly session that day, he expressed support for the UCC bill. He reiterated this stance at a party event later that night.
Following the Chief Minister’s remarks, the BJP legislative party began preparations to present the bill. However, there has been no clarification from the ruling party’s parliamentary team regarding whether it will be introduced on Monday.
After the Chief Minister’s announcement, the BJP legislative party has allocated one hour for discussion on the UCC bill. Currently, the ruling party has decided that Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will be the sole speaker in favor of the bill, with other BJP speakers potentially added later.
According to sources in the Assembly Secretariat, while the BJP legislative party has made preparations, the agenda for Monday still lists the other four bills, with no mention of the UCC bill. This has led to confusion about the government’s actual intentions regarding the legislation.
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S.K./P.M.
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