Displeased with West Bengal Governor, Jagdeep Dhankar’s decision to visit Assam to meet BJP supporters from West Bengal who fled to the neighbouring state due to attacks by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons, West Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has objected to the same.
A day prior to his planned visit, Mamata Banerjee, in a strongly worded letter to Dhankar, advised him to “desist” from undertaking “field trips” and follow the established government protocols.
Mamata wrote to the Governor, drawing his attention to the state home (political) department’s ‘Manual of Protocol & Ceremonials’.
“I find from social media that you are unilaterally proceeding to the district of Coochbehar on 13-5-2021 and, sadly, I find that to be violative of the long-standing norms as evolved over several decades. I, therefore, would expect that you will kindly follow the well-established norms of protocol, as stated above, and desist from abrupt decisions with regard to field visits,” Mamata wrote in her letter to the state governor.
She drew the Governor’s attention to one of her previous letters and asked him to ‘refrain from surpassing her and her ministers’ orders’.
“I had requested and specifically advised you ‘to refrain from surpassing the chief minister and her Council of Ministers and communicating with and dictating to the state officials, in excess of your power under the Constitution and directing them to attend before you’. I find that you are steadily ignoring this advice, solemnly rendered by me to you, and have been communicating with and dictating the state officials. You have also been seeking reports from them directly. I urge you and again request and advise you to refrain from this. I am asking my chief secretary to go by this norm.”
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar tears into Mamata Banerjee rejecting her ‘order’
The West Bengal Governor, in response to her letter, tore into Mamata Banerjee, categorically rejecting her ‘order’.
In my response to CM
— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) May 13, 2021
“In time of such unprecedented crisis @MamataOfficial there was need to act in togetherness with all concerned, including the Governor. It was no time for optics or playing to gallery when we are in the midst of unprecedented post poll retributive violence.”
In his letter to the CM, Dhankar wrote that he is “appalled that a leader of your stature should be even contemplating that in making visits the Governor has to obtain orders of the Government”. Dhankar reminded Mamata of his “constitutional duties” and said that he would all that is expected out of his oath and constitution.
Condemning the rampant incidents of loot, arson, killings, rape and other horrendous acts against those in opposition to the ruling dispensation, the Governor urged the state CM to revisit her stance and commit herself to the constitution that she by her oath is obligated to uphold and follow.
According to reports, West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankar is scheduled to visit Ranpagli and Srirampur camps in Assam on May 14 where the ‘refugees’ from Bengal are being housed. “Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will be visiting Ranpagli and Srirampur camps in Assam where due to post-poll retributive violence some people from WB had taken refuge for safety. The Governor will be reaching Ranpagli by BSF helicopter,” stated a tweet posted from the official Twitter handle of Dhankhar.
The Governor is said to be going to Assam on Friday from Cooch Behar in West Bengal. In Cooch Behar, he will visit Mathabhanga, Sitalkuchi, Sikai and Dinhata and meet people affected by post-poll violence.
TMC goons unleash the angst against their BJP karyakartas after the former’s poll victory
Political violence that was unleashed by TMC goons after the declaration of results to the West Bengal Assembly elections forced many BJP karyakartas and supporters to flee the state and take shelter in the neighbouring state of Assam. We reported how TMC thugs looted and vandalised houses of BJP workers, forcing them to leave the state.
BJP leader and the now CM of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma took to Twitter on May 5 to share pictures of several people who were forced to leave the state following purported post-poll violence and come to Assam. In a thread of Tweets, Sarma highlighted the plight of the refugees. Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that hundreds of people from Bengal, along with their family members have fled and reached Assam where they are being put up in shelters by the state government.
In fact, on the same day, Nandigram MLA and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had also asserted that over a lakh people have already fled Bengal since the post-poll violence erupted in West Bengal from May 2, 2021.
Centre forms four-member fact-finding team to probe post-election violence in West Bengal
After the incidents of post-poll violence in West Bengal, the MHA constituted a four-member fact-finding central team to assess the ground situation in the state and submit its report on post-poll violence in the next 48-72 hours to the Union Home Ministry. The step was taken after repeated reminders to the Mamata Banerjee government to submit a detailed report on the post-poll violence, went unheard.