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Official parleys move to twitter as Governor-government spat continues in Bengal
Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee tweeted an official report on state-run universities meant for Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar in a tit for tat response to Dhankar’s posting of an official letter by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the same platform on Saturday.
The persisting acrimony between the West Bengal government and the Governor has progressed from the routine war of words on social media to now using it for official communication in the full glare of the public eye. State education minister Partha Chatterjee on Sunday tweeted an official report on state-run universities meant for Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar in a tit for tat response to Dhankar’s posting of an official letter by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the same platform on Saturday.
“@jdhankhar1 as you have posted a letter of HCM (Honourable Chief Minister) to you on a social media platform, I hereby (am) posting necessary details through the same mode for your kind information,” Chatterjee tweeted on Sunday.
Dhankhar reacted by tweeting: “No time for tit for tat”.
On December 25, a day after Dhankhar was not allowed to enter Jadavpur University by a section of the students and the university’s employees’ union affiliated to the ruling party, the governor had written to the chief minister asking her to meet him within 15 days.
A day later, Banerjee sent a letter to Dhankhar saying she has asked the education minister to discuss all issues with the governor.
On Saturday, however, Dhankar uploaded the chief minister’s letter on the social media platform.
“Efforts to ensure improvement in education scenario seem to be bearing results. To my communication of December 25, CM has responded on Dec 26 that Minister-in-Charge Education will discuss all the issues. I look forward to this. In a democracy, we have to move in togetherness,” Dhankhar tweeted on Saturday after uploading Banerjee’s letter.
On Sunday, after the education minister tweeted the report on state-run universities tagging the governor, Dhankhar tweeted: “Am frankly amused. Hon’ble CM(‘s) communication reflected a farsighted approach and hence my step. Hon’ble Minister may check a critical communication of CM was on the screen of all channels. No time for tit for tat. Hope we’ll move ahead as indicated by (the) CM and discuss issues across,” Dhankhar tweeted on Sunday.
In his report, the education minister stated the state government hardly interferes in the running of universities as they are autonomous.
He also wrote that the students and the people reportedly want the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to be withdrawn as they are dead against it. Chatterjee also said the state government was ready to work with the governor provided his approach is amicably mutual in the interest of education and not forceful.
Explaining his move Chatterjee said he wouldn’t have posted the report online had the governor not tweeted the chief minister’s letter.
“Uploading the communication between two constitutional heads on a social media platform is uncalled for,” said Chatterjee.
Dilip Ghosh, state Bharatiya Janata Party president said: “Tweeting and retweeting are just politics. We all know the state of education in the state. Instead, the government should focus on uplifting the standards of educational institutions.”
