Mamata dials Stalin to discuss governors of non-BJP-ruled states, cites 'misuse of power'
TMC leaders said they were not privy to the discussion the chief ministers of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu had, but MK Stalin said in a tweet that Banerjee had proposed a meeting of the chief ministers of these states. He referred to Banerjee as Didi or elder sister.
Amid the ongoing tussle between West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, chief minister Mamata Banerjee called up MK Stalin, her counterpart in Tamil Nadu, on Sunday evening to discuss “misuse of power” by governors of states that are ruled by parties opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
TMC leaders said they were not privy to the discussion the two chief ministers had, but Stalin said in a tweet that Banerjee had proposed a meeting of the chief ministers of these states. He referred to Banerjee as Didi or elder sister.
“Beloved Didi @MamataOfficial telephoned me to share her concern and anguish on the Constitutional overstepping and brazen misuse of power by the Governors of non-BJP ruled states. She suggested for a meeting of Opposition CMs. I assured her of DMK’s commitment to uphold state autonomy. Convention of Opposition CMs will soon happen out of Delhi!” Stalin wrote.
A fresh tussle between the TMC leadership and Dhankhar started on Saturday when the latter tweeted that he was proroguing the West Bengal assembly session. This immediately led to speculations that the prorogue (the act of discontinuing a Parliament or assembly session without dissolving it) was his unilateral decision.
When the media reported his tweet, Dhankhar wrote a second one.
“WB Guv: In view of inappropriate reporting in a section of media it is indicated that taking note of govt recommendation seeking proroguing of assembly, Guv in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by article 174 (2)(a) the Constitution has prorogued WBLA w.e.f. Feb 12, 2022,” wrote the Governor.
TMC secretary general and state parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee faced the media on Saturday evening. “There was no need for the Governor to write the first tweet. It was a routine matter. Since the Budget session has to be convened in March and the Governor has to address it, the earlier session has to be prorogued following Constitutional provisions. Hence, we asked for it,” he said.
Stalin however took on the Bengal governor on Sunday, apparently because he was not informed about the details.
“The act of #WestBengal Governor to prorogue the WB Assembly Session is without any propriety expected from the exalted post and goes against the established norms and conventions. The ‘symbolic’ head of the state should be the role model to uphold the constitution. Beauty of democracy lies in extending mutual respect to each other,” Stalin tweeted on Sunday morning.
Dhankhar reacted again on Tweeter, tagging Banerjee, Stalin and the Raj Bhawan in Tamil Nadu.
“WB Guv: Find it unusually expedient to respectfully invite indulgent attention of TN CM @mkstalin that his extremely harsh hurtful observations are not in the least in conformity with facts- attached order. Assembly was prorogued at express request @MamataOfficial @rajbhavan_tn,” Dhankhar wrote.
The Bengal BJP targeted the TMC on Twitter on Sunday night.
Leader of the opposition in the Bengal legislative assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, wrote: “Continual outrage of Constitution by your “Beloved Didi” @MamataOfficial; @mkstalin, she has reduced governance in WB, as per @India_NHRC’s report “Law of ruler, not rule of law”. Blatant failure of Constitutional “duty” under article 167 in giving information to @jdhankhar1.”
The TMC has decided to move a motion against the Governor in the coming budget session of the assembly. The motion, TMC leaders said, will criticise the governor’s actions and accuse him of overstepping his limits as the state’s Constitutional head.
Last week, TMC Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy placed a Substantive Motion in the Upper House against Dhankhar.
This happened after the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha refused to allow a debate on the Bengal governor that the TMC members demanded on February 4.
On January 31, 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.
On the same day, Sudip Bandopadhyay, leader of the TMC legislative party in the Lok Sabha, directly asked President Ram Nath 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.
A couple of days later, TMC Lok Sabha member Saugata Roy asked the same question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament.
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.