Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said Tuesday the post of the state’s constitutional head has been ‘seriously compromised’, as he hit out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The latter however, shot back wondering why she never had any problem with the previous Raj Bhavan occupants.
The verbal duel between the two happened on the day the West Bengal Assembly met to mark the 70th anniversary of the adoption of Indian Constitution. There was, however, no direct exchange of words on the floor of the House.
“The post of the constitutional head of the state has been seriously compromised. This is an unprecedented and challenging situation. I would call upon the lawmakers to ask their conscience,” Dhankhar said in his address to the House.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmakers were seen chanting slogans like ‘Jai Bangla, Jai Hind’ as he was leaving the House after concluding his speech.
When Banerjee’s turn came, she questioned the propriety of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis being sworn in as Maharashtra chief minister, and the subsequent Supreme Court ruling that led to his resignation. She said it showed that the Constitution cannot be subverted.
“The apex court has upheld the Constitution and it is the best gift as we mark 70 years of adoption of the Indian constitution,” Mamata Banerjee told the Assembly.
“Efforts are on to destroy the Constitution. We have heard about freedom at midnight but have never heard about government at midnight,” Banerjee said while alluding to the acclaimed book ‘Freedom at Midnight’ that chronicled India’s journey to independence from British yoke.
“In my state, the post of the governor is being badly misused. No one should forget that the governor’s is a nominated post but the state government is elected. We are not at anyone’s mercy,” Banerjee later told reporters. She asserted that nobody, including the prime minister, spoke to her the way Dhankhar did.
Without elaborating on how Dhankhar spoke to her, the West Bengal chief minister said, “We never had any problems with the previous governors. So, it needs to be seen who is responsible for this situation.”
The governor and the West Bengal government have been locked in bitter exchange of words on a number of issues ranging from Dhankhar’s seating arrangement at the Durga Puja carnival to comments on his security detail ever since he rushed to Jadavpur University to ‘rescue’ Union Minister Babul Supriyo, who was heckled and manhandled by students.
Agencies
