PANAJI
The controversial Bhumiputra Adhikarini bill continues to make waves even from the deep cold storage bin, which the BJP-led coalition government appears to have stashed it into for the time-being.
Speaker of the State legislative assembly Rajesh Patnekar on Tuesday said that mere publishing of the bill in the government gazette should not be interpreted as the bill being granted assent by Raj Bhavan.
"There is some confusion that once it (the bill) is published in the gazette, the government has given it assent. There is confusion. I want to clarify that when the bill is passed in the assembly, it has to be published in the gazette, it does not mean that Governor has given assent to the bill," Patnekar said on a day when a section of the media quoting Legislature Secretary Namrata Ulman claimed that the bill had been given assent by the Governor.
"No one has contacted Namrata Ulman, but her name is published in the paper that she said (so). This is not correct. No reporter from the paper has contacted Namrata Ulman, the Goa Legislature secretary. The bill today has not been assented (to) by the Governor. It has gone to the Law department, where it is now," Patnekar said.
"As per procedure, the file has gone to the Law department. CM has already declared that he wants to take some suggestions from the people, only then he will go ahead regarding that bill," Patnekar said.
The Speaker also said that three government bills were expected to be introduced in the State assembly when it convenes for the two-day session from October 18.
When asked if the upcoming session would be the last assembly session in the incumbent government's tenure, he said, "a session should be held every six month. It looks like this could be the last session of this government”.
