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Bengal guv launches anti-graft cell, TMC calls it breach of ‘jurisdiction’
The opposition BJP backed the governor’s decision, saying he was “fulfilling” his responsibilities in absence of prompt action against graft by the state government
West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose on Wednesday launched an “anti-corruption cell” at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata for people to lodge graft complaints, a move the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) said was beyond his “jurisdiction”.
“Here (in the anti-corruption room) we are trying to give voice to the voiceless. In the days of violence, Raj Bhavan decided to keep awake at night so that poor people can sleep in peace,” the governor said, while speaking to the media.
While the TMC — which has been at loggerheads with the Raj Bhavan over various issues — said the governor was acting beyond his jurisdiction, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the move.
“We will not try to infringe on the turf of others. There is something called Lakshman Rekha,” Bose added.
To be sure, the role of the governor is clearly defined in various articles of the Constitution. He is the constitutional head of the state, bound by the advice of his council of ministers (CoM), or the elected state government. The governor also functions as a vital link between the Union government and the state government. Constitution does not provide for the governor to interfere in domains administered by the elected state government, including governance.
Reacting sharply to the governor’s move, chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that Raj Bhavan was “unnecessarily” interfering in the rights of the state government.
“The governor has set up an anti-corruption room. This is not the job of the Raj Bhavan. We respect the governor. He has set up some cells. He is unnecessarily interfering into the rights of the state government. Behind the mask, he is doing whatever the BJP is saying,” Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat. “He is bringing in experts from outside the state and appointing vice-chancellors of state-run universities from outside West Bengal. I don’t blame the governor. This is being done on the directions of the Centre.”
TMC lawmaker Santanu Sen accused Bose of trying to run a “parallel administration” to appease the BJP.
“The governor is acting beyond his jurisdiction. He is the Constitutional head but behaving like an administrative head,” Sen told reporters. “He is trying to run a parallel administration to harass the Mamata Banerjee-administration to appease the BJP.”
In June, when political clashes erupted in the eastern state after the three-tier panchayat elections were announced, Bose had set up a “peace room” at Raj Bhavan to receive complaints related to violence. “The peace room had to be opened because miscreants have opened war rooms,” Bose had said on June 17.
The peace room is still functioning and Raj Bhawan officials said it has received at least 7,000 calls. “If one considers the complaints lodged on emails too, the number would cross 10,000,” an official said, requesting anonymity.
The governor’s office is also running a third programme, Aamne Saamne, in which Bose meets students and interacts with then at the Raj Bhavan.
The opposition BJP backed the governor’s decision, saying he was “fulfilling” his responsibilities in absence of prompt action against graft by the state government.
“When the state government is not playing its role and the chief minister is just giving speeches against corruption, the governor, who is the custodian of the Constitution, is fulfilling his responsibilities with his powers,” BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya told reporters.
