E-Paper
Conscious decision to resign, will remain proud voter of WB: Ex-Governor Ananda Bose
Bose’s remarks fuelled speculation in political circles after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee claimed he had been pressurised to resign.
Former West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday said he took a “conscious decision” by resigning from the post but would remain a “proud voter” of the state.
“I have taken a conscious decision to resign. The reasons behind this will remain confidential till the time comes,” Bose, who submitted his papers on Thursday, told the media at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon.
“I did not resign in Delhi. I resigned in Kolkata,” Bose said, indicating that he flew to the national capital after quitting. “In every game there is a time for entry and exit. I decided it is time for my exit,” he said.
Bose’s remarks fuelled speculation in political circles after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee claimed on Saturday that he had been pressurised to resign.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party wants to distribute money for the coming elections from Raj Bhawan. Ananda Bose was not willing to let that happen. He was forced to resign,” Banerjee said at the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) ongoing demonstration in Kolkata against the deletion of several million names during the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.
Responding to Banerjee’s allegation, which BJP leaders had earlier described as “wild”, Bose said, “As an outgoing governor, it is not proper for me to comment on these issues at this juncture.”
Like his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Bose’s tenure was marked by an acrimonious relationship between the TMC and Raj Bhawan. Yet, the Kerala resident recently registered himself as a voter in the state.
“I am a proud voter of West Bengal. My name is there in the list. I will come back and vote. It will not be wasted,” Bose said, hinting at his close association with the state.
The former Indian Administrative Service officer’s abrupt exit after three-and-a-half years in office, and the appointment of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi as Bose’s interim replacement have triggered a political row in the poll-bound state.
On Saturday, Banerjee described Ravi, a former Indian Police Service officer who served in the Intelligence Bureau and Central Bureau of Investigation, as “a parading cadre of the BJP”.
On Thursday evening, Banerjee expressed “shock” and wrote on X that Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed her about Bose’s resignation and Ravi’s appointment.
She wrote that Bose could have been under pressure from Shah “to serve certain political interests.”
Since Bose was in New Delhi on Thursday, many assumed he had submitted his resignation there. However, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said the governor might have stepped down due to health reasons.
“I have no means to know why the governor resigned. Probably he is unwell,” Bhattacharya said.
