Winter session of West Bengal Assembly to start on Nov 25, likely to be stormy

Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): The winter session of the West Bengal Assembly slated to resume on November 25 is likely to be stormy over a couple of issues, including the RG Kar rape and murder case. According to insiders from the ruling Trinamool Congress, the treasury bench during the winter session will move a resolution condemning the role of the Union government in releasing money to the state government under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme. Sources in the state unit of BJP said that once the resolution is moved their legislators will counter the arguments of the treasury bench and highlight instances of brewing public grievances in different pockets of the state over corruption in the implementation of the housing scheme.

During his recent visit to West Bengal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also been vocal against the state government regarding the irregularities in West Bengal over the implementation of the Centrally-sponsored schemes, especially the PMAY and the 100-day job scheme under MGNREGA. The Union Home Minister accused the state government and the ruling party of rendering benefits under such schemes to their party confidants and denying the eligible ones. He also said that if BJP comes to power in West Bengal after the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections they will be cleaning up the accounting system under such schemes.

The second issue on which the winter session of the Assembly is expected to be quite stormy is the ghastly rape and murder of a woman junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August. The point of reference on this issue would be the Aparajita Women & Child Bill, the new bill seeking capital punishment for convicts in rape and rape and murder cases, which though passed on the floor of the House in September this year is still pending clearance from the office of the Indian President Droupadi Murmu.