INDIA builds pressure on govt: Mamata asks PM to review criminal Bills

NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister

Mamata Banerjee

has written to Prime Minister

Narendra Modi

on Thursday, urging him to defer the implementation of the three “hurriedly passed”

criminal laws

— Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Sakhsya Adhiniyam and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 – as they were passed by “ignoring” dissent notes and more importantly by “unethically” expelling 146 members from both Houses.

The implementation of the three laws is set to roll out from July 1.
Banerjee’s letter is the first salvo from the

INDIA bloc

of

opposition parties

, fired at the newly formed Modi-led NDA government, in a coordinated effort to put the government under pressure right from the first day of the 18^th Lok Sabha, with an increased bench-strength (234) as compared to the last Lok Sabha.
That, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, is learnt to have met with Banerjee, at her office in Kolkata, on Thursday and discussed the letter on the criminal laws, for which he was on the parliamentary committee for scrutiny, makes it evident that Congress is reaching out to the TMC chief and is serious about coordination within the INDIA bloc.
The INDIA bloc parties are working on building pressure on the NDA government to review a host of other Bills.

TMC leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien has listed at least five legislations passed in the 17^th Lok Sabha, other than the criminal laws, on Friday that the opposition wants the government to review. They are: The Citizenship Amendment Act, The Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners Act, The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, The Transgender Persons Act and The Aircraft Act (1934).

According to sources, Chidambaram, on behalf of Congress, will be listing another bunch of legislations next week, asking for a review.
Banerjee noted, “the outgoing government of yours had passed these three critical bills unilaterally, and with absolutely no debate. That day, almost 100 members of the Lok Sabha had been suspended and a total 146 MPs of both Houses were thrown out of Parliament,” in her letter.
She said, the three bills were passed in an “authoritarian manner” in that “dark hour of democracy,” is a “matter that deserves review now.”
She said, “I urge your esteemed office now to consider at least a deferment of the implementation date. Reasons are two-fold — ethical and practical.”
“We believe this postponement will enable a renewed parliamentary review/ mandate, reinforce public trust in the legal system and uphold the rule of law in our beloved country,” Banerjee added in her letter.
Chidambaram, O’Brien and DMK’s N R Elango had given dissent notes to the three criminal laws, at the parliamentary committee.
The issue will be raised by the opposition in the upcoming Parliament session.