Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went to Raj Bhavan on Wednesday evening to meet Dhankhar amidst the ongoing tussle between the West Bengal government and Governor Jagdeep Dhankar.
Secretariat sources called it a courtesy call. Mamta Banerjee went directly to Nabanna, the state secretariat, to meet the Governor of Raj Bhavan.
An official working in a high position in the state secretariat said that it was a courtesy meeting. There is nothing official in it. The honorable Chief Minister wanted to wish the Governor a happy New Year. This meeting of the Chief Minister and the Governor lasted for about an hour.
In the backdrop of deteriorating relations between the Governor and the ruling Trinamool Congress, Mamata Banerjee's meeting with Dhankhar is important as the Governor has often tweeted on the state's law and order, governance, the possibility of free and fair elections, and other issues.
Later Dhankhar tweeted that the Chief Minister met me at Raj Bhavan today. First lady Sudesh Dhankar and I greeted the honorable Chief Minister on the new year. The governor also shared some photos of the meeting on Twitter.
Meanwhile, BJP State General Secretary Sayantan Basu told the media that in a democracy the Chief Minister can always meet the Governor and I should not comment on it.
Referring to the Chief Minister's visit, Left Front Legislature Party leader and CPI (M) MLA Sujan Chakraborty said that the Chief Minister can meet the Governor anytime.