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Some would argue that Banerjee’s decision is mere grandstanding, with little real-world effects, and hence unimportant in the larger scheme of things. Or, that in the hurly-burly of social media, where few rules of etiquette anyway apply, chief ministerial conduct cannot be held to unrealistically high standards. Even by the hyper-partisan standards of Twitter, a chief minister of a state blocking the governor on a social media platform is bad form. But West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has gone ahead and done just that. She blamed her ire on the frequent comments of Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who she accused of trying to become a “super paharadar (guard)” over an elected government. Several Trinamool Congress leaders have followed their leader – they too have blocked the governor’s tweets. Dhankhar, who, it has to be said, is not known for a record of restraint or reticence in keeping with the constitutional office he holds, most recently called West Bengal a “gas chamber” of democracy. Neither the friction, nor the war by hyperbole between the chief minister and the governor is surprising. But this – refusal to even communicate — is a new low.
Some would argue that Banerjee’s decision is mere grandstanding, with little real-world effects, and hence unimportant in the larger scheme of things. Or, that in the hurly-burly of social media, where few rules of etiquette anyway apply, chief ministerial conduct cannot be held to unrealistically high standards. But it must be remembered that the constitutional relationship between a chief minister and the governor is bound by propriety and decorum. It does not allow, surely, one to block another, like a common troll. Even if the relationship comes under strain, it does not behove the West Bengal Chief Minister to use the weight of her office to settle a petty verbal duel.
The world over, the use of social media platforms by politicians has eroded the common or middle ground of public spheres. While the “real world” task of politics, by definition, is about negotiating and navigating conflicting points of view, social media has only licensed confrontation and adversarial aggression. It indulges the leader’s fantasy of an Opposition-mukt or criticism-free public discourse. But blocking Dhankhar’s tweets does not really achieve much beyond the dopamine high of point-scoring. Neither does the governor’s over-enthusiasm for using his Twitter handle as a megaphone for his dissatisfaction serve the cause of his office. Both Banerjee and Dhankhar need to signal a ceasefire in their hostilities. Like for much of West Bengal, a chat over tea at Raj Bhavan might help.
This editorial first appeared in the print edition on February 2, 2022 under the title ‘Unblock’.
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