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4th finance panel in Bengal flouted Constitution norms, alleges guv Dhankhar
West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar also claimed that state finance commission in West Bengal did not make recommendations to the governor since 2014.
West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday alleged that the fourth state finance commission in West Bengal continued beyond its five-year term in violation of Constitution.
In a series of posts on Twitter, Dhankhar claimed said members of the panel are "liable to return salary" and "all expenses need to be recovered as public money cannot be so squandered".
Abhirup Sarkar, the chairman of the fourth state finance commission, however, said the members of the panel did not receive any fee after submitting their report to chief minister Mamata Banerjee in February 2016.
“There were three part-time members of the commission. They used to get sitting fees for their meetings. We have not received any money after submitting our report in February 2016. No new SFC has been formed yet,” Sarkar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The West Bengal government constituted the fourth finance panel in April 2013.
Dhankhar also claimed that state finance commission in West Bengal did not make recommendations to the governor since 2014, which, he described as "collapse of constitutional mechanism".
Dhankhar posted on Twitter that the recommendations to the governor are for principles that should govern the distribution between state and panchayats or municipalities of net proceeds of taxes, duties, tolls and fees leviable, which may be divided and allocated between state and panchayats/municipalities.
Dhankhar has been at loggerheads with Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal ever since he assumed office in 2019.
