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TMC MP asks people to file police complaints against Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar
TMC leaders targeted Dhankhar after the arrests because he sanctioned the prosecution. They alleged that he bypassed the assembly speaker whose sanction is necessary to prosecute MLAs.
Adding to the acrimony between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Raj Bhawan, the party’s Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee on Sunday asked Bengal citizens to file complaints against governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at every police station in the state so that he can be prosecuted after his term comes to an end.
“He is the butcher of the Indian Constitution. I urge people of Bengal to file complaints against him at every police station. I know that a case cannot be started against a governor. But we can do it after his tenure ends. Former governor Jagdeep Dhankhar can be lodged in the Presidency Jail,” Banerjee told reporters.
Banerjee, a lawyer, represented urban development minister Firhad Hakim, panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee and Kamarhati legislator Madan Mitra before the Calcutta high court this week after they were arrested on May 17 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the 2016 Narada sting operation case in which they are accused of taking bribe. They were remanded in judicial custody and taken to Presidency correctional home. Former TMC leader Sovan Chatterjee was also arrested on the same charge. A charge sheet was filed against all four.
TMC leaders targeted Dhankhar after the arrests because he sanctioned the prosecution. They alleged that he bypassed the assembly speaker whose sanction is necessary to prosecute MLAs.
On May 9, the Raj Bhawan said in a statement that the governor had accorded prosecution sanction to the CBI against the three TMC MLAs and Chatterjee who was an MLA when the offence allegedly took place. This empowered the CBI to file the charge sheet.
On May 10, Mukherjee and Hakim were sworn in as ministers by the governor at Raj Bhawan. Mitra took oath at the assembly on May 6.
Dhankhar reacted to Banerjee’s comments saying he was stunned.
“He is senior functionary @AITCofficial @MamataOfficial. He is senior parliamentarian @LokSabhaSectt. He is senior advocate @barcouncilindia @barandbench. Just stunned but leave the matter to sound discretion of cultured people of West Bengal and media,” tweeted Dhankhar. He also posted a video clip in which Banerjee could be heard making the statement.
“Banerjee is a lawyer who represents the state in court. He is directly attacking the Constitution. His statement can be seen as that of the ruling party. The TMC has lost faith in the Constitution,” said Bengal BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya.
TMC leaders did not comment on Banerjee’s remarks.
