Source: Source: Internet(File picture)
Kolkata 15 October: The tiff between the new Governor of West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankar and West Bengal government has almost become a norm now. The latest stand off between Governor and West Bengal government has became evident on Friday when Jagdeep Dhankar said that he will also visit each district and convene several meetings to know the problems of that area.
On Friday Dhankar attended the Court meeting of Jadavpur University and after coming out of the meeting he expressed his ire over the state government . In the meeting he raised objection of one of the recipient of the honoris causa. But when other members insisted on that he relented on that.
Dhankar said ” It is the job of the Governor to to convene meeting in every district to know the problems of that area. I am well within my constitutional jurisdiction and it is the job of the Governor to look after the interest of the state by speaking with the Center. I am not proactive , but an active Governor.”
Dhankar also said that he has been hurt by the sentiments of the Trinamool Congress minister Subrata Mukherjee.
“Mukherjee said “I am tourist in West Bengal . I respect him . I would like to tell him that before commenting anything on the media, regarding my security he should have consulted with the state government. ”
Two days back Dhankar said that he was left feeling insulted during the Durga Puja Carnival, an illustrious project of Mamata Banerjee, as he was given a corner seat which obstructed his view. He said that he was unable to see the entire programme properly due to the seat allocated to him.
Dhankar said: “I was deeply hurt and disturbed at the way I was being treated. I was sidelined. For four hours I felt that there was a black out. I did not sit with other VIPs and foreign dignitaries. Being a constitutional head I was suppose to get at least a decent treatment, but the way I was treated I am hurt. One acquaintance called me up and I explained the situation I faced and he immediately reminded me of the dark era of emergency. I was also appalled to see the silence of the media.
The Trinamool Congress leaders have retorted that it was a known strategy of the Governor as he is time and again trying to insult the ruling party by raising petty issues. The BJP leaders have that the governor had every right to talk about the problems he faced during the puja carnival.
Tapas Roy, TMC leader, said: “If the Governor was hurt why did he highlight the problems so late? He is unnecessarily trying to politicise an issue which is a non-issue.”
Dhankar added: “I was put in a place where I could not witness a single live programme. I had to shift my seat several times as many people want to personally shake hands with me. It was a pleasure that people wanted to shake hands with me, but as I was given a seat so far that I could not keep their request. It cannot be an accident as it continued for four long hours. Although media covered the programme live, they did not focus on me and I was stunned to see that I was not being seen seen in the live programme. I was so disturbed that I was unable to speak my heart out and finally today I thought that these issues need to be addressed and that’s why I told the media,” Dhankar added.
When reporters asked him whether he has brought the matter to the notice of the chief secretary of West Bengal, Dhankar said: “ I won’t complain to anybody. This is not an ego tussle, but this case reminds people that Bengal which is noted for their rich culture and heritage is showing lack of respect and insulting the elders.”
Dhankar maintained: “I do not know whether the media has been asked by the government not to focus on me Whatever it might be if it could happen to the media what will happen to common people.”
Governor Versus West Bengal Government
Jagdeep Dhankar was sworn in as the Governor of West Bengal from 30 July 2019. Soon after he was sworn in as the Governor of West Bengal he engaged in a tiff with the state government over multiple issues.
1. Five days ago Jagdeep Dhankar held the state government responsible for their failure to arrest the culprit two days after the murder of a teacher and her family members in Murshidabad. He condemned the incident and claimed it to be a barbaric act.This has led to war of words between the Governor and the Trinamool Congress leaders with the later claiming that Governor is using his constitutional post for his political gains.
2.During the impasse at Jadavpur Univesrity , a month ago, Governor went to the University to rescue Babul Supriyo who was heckled by the students of JU and was held hostage for few hours at the University. Dhankhar took the Union Minister in his car and took him out of the campus. Supriyo had gone there to attend an event organised by ABVP where he faced protest by SFI & AISA members who were opposing his visit.