Special one-day Bengal Assembly session on Mon to pass bill on enhanced pay for ministers, MLAs

Kolkata, Oct 15 (IANS) A special one-day session of the West Bengal assembly has been convened on Monday to pass two crucial bills on the enhanced monthly salaries for the ministers and legislators in the state.

Two separate bills, the first on Bengal Legislative Assembly (Members Emoluments and the second on West Bengal Salaries & Wages, will be tabled at 12 noon on Monday during the special by the treasury bench of the house.

There will be a meeting of the business advisory committee chaired by Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadyay at 11 a.m. on Monday where the time of discussion over the bill will be finalised.

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari has already said that BJP’s legislative team in all probability will not participate during this special session, since they are against this enhanced pay for the enhanced salaries for the ministers and MLAs. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is home-bound for the last one month because of her renewed limb injuries, might not also attend the special session.

The special session will coincide with the visit of the Union home minister Amit Shah, who will inaugurate a popular community Durga Puja in Kolkata.

On September 7 this year, the chief minister had announced a big hike in the salaries of cabinet ministers, ministers of state and legislators with the monthly salary being raised by Rs 40,000 a month for each of these three categories.

The announcement created ripples in the state especially among the state government employees who have been long demanding enhanced dearness allowances to be made at par with Central government employees and the arrears accrued on it.