With Mamata Banerjee blocking Jagdeep Dhankhar on Twitter and the latter responding with a tweetstorm, the long-running face-off between the West Bengal Chief Minister and the Governor has reached a flashpoint, getting extra bitter and personalised. The editorial within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) mouthpiece, Jago Bangla, with the heading ‘Ter Paben’ (he’ll face the outcome) Tuesday signaled that the showdown will escalate.
Three months after he assumed his workplace in Kolkata Raj Bhavan on July 30, 2019, Dhankhar began utilizing his official Twitter deal with to submit his critique of the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC authorities on numerous points. However, until November, 2019, when the “Bulbul” cyclone struck Bengal, the relations between the 2 sides had been bittersweet.
Dhankhar had then even appeared to share Banerjee’s views that there shouldn’t be any politics over the distribution of aid materials to the cyclone-affected folks.
However, the battle erupted in December 2019 with each of them exchanging stinging letters after the Governor summoned the CM to Raj Bhavan to “personally update” him on the protests raging in opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) throughout the state.
In a letter to Dhankhar then, Banerjee said, “I’m actually sorry to see your frequent tweets and press briefings criticizing the state authorities and in addition involving the senior officers of the state. You would little question recognize that the prime focus of the state administration at current is to take care of a peaceable state of affairs as in opposition to what’s going on all through the nation,” including that it was his “constitutional obligation to support the state government”.
The tussle intensified after the imposition of lockdown following the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, with the Governor usually pulling up the state administration and police for his or her “failures” in imposing the lockdown successfully. On April 15, 2020, he tweeted, “Lockdown protocol has to be fully implemented to ward off #coronavirus. Police and administration @MamataOfficial failing to effect 100% #SocialDistancing or curbing religious congregations….”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Governor Jagdeep Dhankar. (Express picture by Partha Paul/File)
The battle took a brand new flip in September 2020 because the CM shot off a nine-page letter to the Governor, criticizing him for questioning the then Director General of Police (DGP) Virendra’s dealing with of legislation and order in Bengal. Dhankhar had lashed out on the state police chief for sending a “two-line” reply to his queries concerning the law-and-order state of affairs and summoned him.
In her letter, Banerjee reminded Dhankhar that he was an “executive nominee” of the President, whereas she was “the elected representative of the people of West Bengal”. She wrote, “I request, support and advise you, within the capability of the Chief Minister of this state, to behave inside the mandates of the Constitution and chorus from performing on a political mandate, if any, to destabilise a democratically elected authorities, ” including “Refrain from surpassing the Chief Minister and her Council of Ministers and communicating with and dictating to state officials, in excess of your powers under the Constitution and directing them to attend before you.”
The row flared up when 5 TMC MPs despatched a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind in December 2020, demanding the Governor’s rapid elimination.
Following the end result of the Bengal Assembly elections final yr, during which the TMC swept the polls, the Governor grew to become vocal on post-poll violence that erupted within the state. Close on the heels of Banerjee taking oath because the CM for the third consecutive time period, Dhankhar tweeted, “While wishing @MamataOfficial on assumption of office of CM called upon to effect governance as per Constitution & rise above partisan stance. There is no alibi for inaction as MCC ended at noon on May 3. Urged CM to end senseless unprecedented post poll retributive violence.”
The newest spherical of struggle broke out after the Governor charged that folks view Bengal as a “gas chamber of democracy” and alleged “trampling of human rights”. Also, in a be aware dated January 28, Dhankar had requested chief secretary BP Gopalika to transient him on alleged obstructions to the motion of Leader of Opposition within the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, at Netai throughout his 7 January go to there. The Governor had earlier sought the bodily presence of the chief secretary and the DGP on the matter.
On 31 January, following a Cabinet assembly on the state secretariat, Banerjee spoke to the media and stated she was pressured to dam Dhankhar on Twitter due to his “unethical and unconstitutional” statements. She alleged that the Governor was performing like a “super watchman” and treating authorities officers like “his servants”. Dhankhar responded with a collection of tweets on the “essence and spirit of democracy”, saying the CM’s transfer was “against constitutional norms”.
The TMC has now proposed to maneuver a movement in opposition to the Bengal Governor in Parliament, planning to step up stress on the BJP-led Center over its demand for his elimination. TMC MP Sukhendu Shekhar Roy stated, “We are preparing to bring a substantive motion against this Governor. Our Chief Minister wrote more than once to Prime Minister demanding removal of this Governor. She also explained in her letters why she want this. But there has been no cognisance yet from the PM’s Office of these letters. So, we have no option other than bringing a motion against the Governor in Parliament.”
The Opposition Congress stated it should again the TMC’s transfer in opposition to the Governor. The Congress’s chief within the Lok Sabha, Adhir Chowdhury, who can also be the celebration’s Bengal unit chief, stated, “To keep federal construction of the nation and democracy in Bengal, Congress has no downside in supporting TMC if they convey such a movement in Parliament “
The CPI(M), nonetheless, criticized each Dhankhar and Banerjee. CPI(M) chief Sujan Chakraborty stated, “How long will this quarrel last? She blocked Governor, good thing. But by making the announcement, she has expressed her opposition to the constitutional office.” Another CPI(M) chief Parthapratim Biswas stated, “We are against the Governor’s post. But if there is a Governor, it is responsibility of both Chief Minister and Governor to maintain dignity of that post.”
Expectedly, BJP state president Sukanta Majumder went after Banerjee, saying “The state government is not above the Constitution. The CM has blocked the Governor on Twitter. This is an unprecedented event in the democracy of the country. Never before has this happened in any state. The CM has done this for fear of not being able to answer the questions that the Governor used to ask his government and the officials while performing his duty as the defender of the Constitution.”
,
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
