Kolkata: The resolution brought by the Bengal government to reintroduce Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) was passed in the state Assembly on Tuesday with 196 legislators giving their votes in its favour.
Parliamentary Affairs minister Partha Chatterjee moved the resolution under Article 169 (Abolition or creation of Legislative Councils in States) of the Indian Constitution.
BJP legislators opposed the same for various reasons. Firstly, they raised apprehensions that it is a move to reinstate some people who were "rejected" ones (who lost in the election) along with maintaining that it would lead to an additional burden on the state's exchequer.
Speaking in favour of the resolution, state Panchayats and Rural Development minister Subrata Mukherjee said: "Legislative Council exists in most parts of the world, including US and Europe. There are six states in India — Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka — where there is a Legislative council."
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said: "Finally, the President's signature is needed for setting up the Legislative Council only after it is cleared in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. I apprehend that it is an attempt to reinstate some rejected ones."
Deputy Chief Whip of Trinamool Congress and the party's MLA from Baranagar Tapas Roy stated that the absence of Congress and Left Front in the state Assembly is not healthy for democracy. "We do not support one man and one leader policy. The state is incomplete without Vidhan Parishad."
West Bengal Legislative Council, which is the Upper House of the Legislative Assembly, was first set up in 1952 and got abolished in 1969.
BJP MLA Mihir Goswami said setting up of Vidhan Parishad will lead to an expenditure of Rs 100 crore per year. "It means there will be an expenditure of Rs 600 crore in six years.
I do not feel there is a need to set it up when the state's financial condition is not that healthy," he said during the discussion over the resolution.
While speaking in support of the resolution, the Parliamentary Affairs minister said in the Assembly: "Is setting up of the Vidhan Parishad unconstitutional? I have not heard anyone from the Opposition say that it is unconstitutional. Mihir (Goswami) Babu earlier used to sit on this side (along with the ruling party MLAs) and had supported the move. Now, he is shouting after shifting to the other side. He is highlighting issues related to the state's financial condition, but not uttering a single word about the country's financial health. Why are Vidhan Parishads functioning in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh then if it is a financial issue? Nothing unconstitutional is being done." He further added that there are a series of examples in which one went to Rajya Sabha after losing the Assembly elections. "We may ideologically differ with Congress and CPI(M). But their absence is unexpected in a democracy. With the strength in Lok Sabha, any step taken for the betterment of Bengal gets restricted." It needs a mention that the Mamata Banerjee government had earlier tabled the proposal in the state Assembly for setting up the Vidhan Parishad after coming to power in 2011. An ad-hoc committee was set up and it had given its report but it was not tabled in the House then.
Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee had stated about reviving the Vidhan Parishad while addressing a Press conference during the announcement of the list of candidates ahead of the Assembly polls.