Raj Bhawan rebuts Azam’s statement

LUCKNOW: Raj Bhawan on Wednesday strongly rebutted minister for parliamentary affairs Mohammad Azam Khan’s statement on two pending bills - Uttar Pradesh Nagar Nigam (amendment) Bill 2015 and Uttar Pradesh Nagar Palika Vidhi (amendment) Bill 2015.

An official communique said the governor had sent a letter to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and speaker Mata Prasad Pandey to make his point clear on the issue. As per Raj Bhawan communique details, after receiving the files carrying the bills to seek governor’ approval, the Raj Bhawan had sent the bills for reference to the President on May 4, 2016. On June 7, 2016, the secretary to President sent a letter to the governor requesting him to send three copies of each bill to the union home ministry. On June 22, 2016, the copies of the bills were sent to the union home ministry.

Later, the union home ministry’s additional secretary sought more details, a comparative report about the provisions in the bills and the original act along with facts about specific provisions in the bills that were not in accordance with central act. On August 9, 2016, the state government forwarded a copy of the bills, with an assurance that more specific details would made available. The state government had not provided the necessary information up to now. So the Raj Bhawan could not be held responsible for the delay, said the communique.