In a letter to Banerjee, the Governor said, “I am stunned and shocked, as are many, at your observation yesterday.” (Express)
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her jibe at him during Monday’s virtual video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a letter to Banerjee, the Governor said, “I am stunned and shocked, as are many, at your observation yesterday.”
On Monday, Banerjee without taking anyone’s name took a dig at Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar during an online meeting with Prime Minister Modi. She said that she never saw the PM not cooperating, but some people in constitutional positions were continuously disturbing the state, and were not cooperating.
“One may be a state government official or a Central Government employee, but we should work together during this pandemic,” she had said.
In the letter, the Governor wrote that the CM’s observations were bereft of any fact, premise or foundation. “A look at my communications and tweets would bear out my wholesome motivations, primacy ever being the welfare of the people — be it systematic destruction of railway and other public properties during anti-CAA agitation; rampant corruption in Amphan relief distribution; hurdles in functioning of Inter ministerial central team; alarming law and order scenario; oppressive police action against opposition and many more.”
Dhankhar further said he was not in politics, but he did have a stake in the governance of the state. “I am required to be aware of state of affairs and also affairs of state. I have scrupulously adhered in my actions to constitutional prescriptions while you have, in spite of my umpteen suggestions, all through practiced constitutional distancing and making my role as governor and chancellor dysfunctional,” he wtote.
He also trained his guns at the state police. “Police in the state have fingers in every pie and this does not augur well for democracy. Inputs indicate that the governance in the state is police driven — a worrisome scenario that leads to a police state. Time to take note of the fiscal empowerment of those in police, in positions of authority, and it will be an eyeopener as many assert,” the Governor said.