West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday invited chief minister Mamata Banerjee to Raj Bhawan next week for discussing issues he had flagged in recent months. The governor announced this in a tweet, attaching a copy of his letter.
“Hon’ble CM Mamata Banerjee has been urged to make it convenient for an interaction at Raj Bhawan anytime during the week ahead as lack of response to issues flagged has potential to lead to Constitutional stalemate which we both are ordained by our oath to avert,” Dhankhar tweeted.
“Impressed upon Hon’ble CM Mamata Banerjee that “Dialogue, discussion and deliberation, particularly amongst constitutional functionaries, like the Chief Minister and the Governor, are quintessential to democracy and inseparable part of Constitutional governance,” said the second tweet, quoting a part of the letter.
Over the past few months, Dhankhar raised questions on expenditure pertaining to the annual global business summit held by the chief minister, a subsidised canteen chain she launched for the poor during the Covid-19 pandemic and purchase of medical equipment for healthcare workers.
The Bengal government did not make any statement on the governor’s letter till Thursday evening. However, cabinet minister and Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim told the media that the governor outstepped his limits several times.
{{/usCountry}}The Bengal government did not make any statement on the governor’s letter till Thursday evening. However, cabinet minister and Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim told the media that the governor outstepped his limits several times.
{{/usCountry}}“He is always on Twitter. The governor wants to create an impasse all the time,” Hakim said.
Dhankhar was sworn in on July 30, 2019, and the face-off started shortly after that.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government’s acrimonious relationship with the governor has touched an all-time low in recent months.
The TMC decided to place a Substantive Motion in the Rajya Sabha criticizing the actions of the governor but the chairman of the Rajya Sabha did not allow any discussion on the subject.
The TMC has declared that it will move a motion, condemning Dhankhar’s actions, in the Budget Session of the state assembly in March.
On January 31, Mamata Banerjee blocked Dhankhar from her Twitter account to stop him from tagging her to his tweets which she described as “irritating.”
Banerjee also accused the Governor of tapping phones from Raj Bhawan.
TMC leaders frequently describe Dhankhar as “an agent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).”
Leader of the opposition in the Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, welcomed Dhankhar’s letter to the chief minister.
“The governor always carries out his duties following the Constitution. It is the chief minister who never follows the Constitution or directions of the court,” Adhikari said.