Azam Khan accuses UP governor of stalling bills

Senior UP minister Azam Khan on Tuesday alleged that UP governor Ram Naik was stalling several bills by not giving his assent.

He alleged that this was creating an impression that the governor was working under the influence of a party.

Speaking during a discussion in the state Assembly during the Zero Hour, Mr Khan said that a bill (UP Nagar Nigam Amendment Bill 2015) had been pending in Raj Bhavan since the past year. The bill enables removal of mayors over financial irregularities.

He further said that the bill did not receive assent so that mayors could not be punished for their dishonesty. It may be mentioned that the majority of mayors in Uttar Pradesh belong to the BJP.

“There is no intention of victimisation of any mayor through this bill. If the governor had any problem, he could have called me for clarification or given a suggestion. It is not a disputed bill but it is being held up,” he said.

BJP Legislative Party leader Suresh Khanna objected to the minister’s remarks against the governor and termed them as a “direct allegation against the governor”. He requested the Speaker to expunge the remarks. Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey said he will look into this.