Mamata Banerjee blocks Guv Dhankhar on Twitter, accuses him of tapping phones
The chief minister flared up hours after Sudip Bandopadhyay, leader of the TMC legislative party in Lok Sabha, directly asked President Ramnath Kovind when the Centre will recall Dhankhar. This happened when Kovind was exchanging greetings with senior Lok Sabha members at the inauguration of the Parliament’s Budget Session.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday blocked Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar from her Twitter account to stop him from tagging her to his tweets which she described as “irritating”. She also accused the Governor of tapping phones from Raj Bhawan.
“I have written four letters to the Centre, seeking the Governor’s removal. I also talked to the Prime Minister but no action was taken…. The Centre has Pegasus. Pegasus is being used here from Raj Bhawan. Phones are being tapped at random. It is your (media’s) job to explore and find out. Go through the documents kept at Raj Bhawan,” said Banerjee while addressing reporters at Nabanna, the state secretariat.
The Bengal chief minister came down heavily on the Governor a day after he criticized the state government while paying homage to MK Gandhi on his 74th death anniversary and said, “Bengal is becoming a gas chamber for democracy”.
“I am sorry to say that today I blocked the governor from my Twitter account. Every day he insults me and our officers. He used to tag me all the time. I found it extremely irritating. Who does he think himself to be? He gives orders and instructions and threatens bureaucrats. He does not follow any Constitutional norm. Are we his servants and bonded labourers? Is he our landlord? We are a democratically elected government. He has been nominated for the post, not elected for it,” said Banerjee who appeared to be angry.
Her action, however, could not stop the Governor’s tweets. In his first reaction, Dhankhar wrote that the Constitutional duty of a governor cannot be “blocked” by anyone. Dhankhar did not make any direct reference to the chief minister’s Twitter account.
The chief minister flared up hours after Sudip Bandopadhyay, leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislative party in the Lok Sabha, directly asked President Ramnath Kovind when the Centre will recall Dhankhar. This happened when Kovind was exchanging greetings with senior Lok Sabha members after addressing them at the inauguration of the Parliament’s Budget Session.
“Yes, I asked the President of India when he will recall the Bengal governor. This Governor is beyond control,” Bandopadhyay told the media in Delhi.
Dhankhar was sworn in on July 30, 2019, and his face-off with the state government started in less than two months of his appointment.
Last week, the TMC decided to move a Substantive Motion against Dhankhar in the Rajya Sabha and another motion in the state legislative assembly to condemn his actions and demand his removal. Ruling party leaders have repeatedly alleged that he is “an agent of the Centre”.
Although TMC and Congress are not on the best of terms at the moment, Bengal Congress president and Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his party may support the TMC’s motion in Parliament.
The chief minister on Monday also accused the Governor of creating an impasse in administrative matters.
“A governor’s job is to address the legislative assembly during inaugural sessions and sign bills that it passes. He may seek a clarification on a bill and pass it once he gets it from the government. This Governor has blocked several bills and appointments….Can a governor take policy decisions? That is the government’s job. Appointment of the chairman of the state human rights commission and several others has been stalled by him. He has even raised questions on the Maa project (a subsidised canteen chain launched during the Covid-19 pandemic last year) that served rice and egg curry to the poor. Do we raise questions on funds when the Governor orders food from Taj Bengal?” said Banerjee.
Reacting to the accusations, Dhankhar started tweeting on Monday afternoon.
“Guv WB: Mandated under Article 159 of the Constitution to ensure none in the state “blocks” Constitutional Norms and Rules of Law and those in authority “bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India,” said his first tweet to which he attached a page from the Constitution showing the oath a governor has to take.
“WB Guv: Under Article 167 it is Constitution “duty” of the Chief Minister to furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the state and proposals for legislation as the Governor may call for. Why “block” information to Guv now for two years?” said the second tweet at 5.45 pm
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defended Dhankhar.
“The chief minister has blocked the Governor because she is incapable of replying to the questions he has raised,” BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar told the media.
Even as the acrimonious relationship between Raj Bhawan and the TMC touched an all-time low, Dhankhar on Sunday emphasised that there should be a dialogue between him and the state government.
“On the death anniversary of the Father of the Nation, honourable Mamata Banerjee should take an oath to follow the Constitution. I request her to take out time from her schedule and hold discussions with the governor. Democracy wants people in high positions to work together in the interest of the people who look up to us. We cannot be arrogant. We cannot be driven by ego. I hold no malice against those who pass comments on the governor every day because the chief minister herself has made comments inside and outside the state. That was not right,” Dhankhar said.
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