Kolkata: The war of words over the alleged appointment of his relatives at Raj Bhavan escalated on Monday after West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar termed the charges by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra as “factually wrong” and called it a “distraction strategy” from the “deteriorating law and order situation in the state”.
The TMC legislator, however, refused to withdraw her remarks and urged the governor to explain the appointments of six officers on special duty (OSDs), who she alleged are related either to him or other Raj Bhawan officers.
On Sunday, Moitra claimed that three of Dhankhar’s own relatives, two relatives of a former aide-de-camp (EDC) and one relative of his present EDC were appointed as OSDs at the governor’s house. She added that the law and order situation in Bengal would improve if the governor left with his “extended family”.
Responding to the allegations through a series of tweets, the governor on Monday said that none of the six appointees were part of his close family and that four of them belonged to another caste.
“Assertion @MahuaMoitra in tweet & Media that six coterminous appointee OSDs in personal staff are relatives is FACTUALLY WRONG. OSDs are from three states and belong to four different castes. None of them is part of close family. Four of them are not from my caste or state,” he posted on Twitter.
{{/usCountry}}“Assertion @MahuaMoitra in tweet & Media that six coterminous appointee OSDs in personal staff are relatives is FACTUALLY WRONG. OSDs are from three states and belong to four different castes. None of them is part of close family. Four of them are not from my caste or state,” he posted on Twitter.
{{/usCountry}}The governor added that the TMC legislator’s tweets were a part of the “distraction strategy to divert attention from the deteriorating law and order situation in the state”.
“This is unfolding of ‘distraction strategy’ to divert attention from alarming law and order scenario @MamataOfficial. Would continue undeterred and with zeal to serve the people of state and vindicate my oath of office under Article 159 of the Constitution,” Dhankhar tweeted.
Taking note of one of his tweets, Moitra urged the governor to explain how the six OSDs were appointed to Raj Bhavan.
“Asking Uncleji to lay out right here what antecedents of the appointees are & how each one got into Raj Bhavan. Do it NOW. BJP IT Cell can’t get you out of this one Uncleji.. And I don’t think Vice President of India also happening for you,” she tweeted.
BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu said, “Raj Bhawan officials are appointed by the state government, not the governor.”
Dhankhar assumed charge as Bengal governor in July 2019.
Leaders of the ruling TMC have time and again accused him of being “an agent” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and criticised his allegedly partisan behaviour.