After Mamata Banerjee’s recent theatrics where she accused the central government of trying to destabilize the State Government of West Bengal by using the Army, the governor of Bengal has criticized the Chief Minister for an attempt to tarnish the reputation of our Forces. The Governor’s comments attracted Mamata’s wrath as she launched a fresh salvo for his remarks.
Responding to the WB CM’s allegations that the Army had conducted an exercise in the state without due communication with the government and after an explicit denial by the Kolkata police, Keshri Nath Tripathi, the governor said, “Every person should take care in making allegations against a responsible organisation like the Army…Don’t let down the Army. Don’t defame the army.” The governor’s comments could be considered perfectly legitimate as the Army has refurnished documents that completely backs their claims that due procedure had been followed during the exercise.
The WB Governor ‘s remarks didn’t go down well with Mamata Banerjee as she said he was acting as a mere extension of the Central Government.
Mamata responded by saying, “The Governor is speaking in the voice of the Central Government. He wasn’t in the city for about 8 days. Before making statements, all details should be checked. It is very unfortunate.” She maintained that the Army was being used for political vendetta by the NDA government at the center and called it a “grave” issue.
The recent attack on Keshri Nath Tripathi is one of many instances where he has been a victim of TMC’s wrath. Before the Assembly Polls, Mamata had communicated her desire of a change in position to the Center. The message was also communicated to the Home Minister of the country, Rajnath Singh, during her trip to Delhi in 2015. The concerted attack against the governor seems to be straight out of the Aam Aadmi Party’s textbook which has often labeled false allegations at the governor to claim that the Center was interfering with the matters of the State. Another TMC leader stated, “The Governor is always willing to lend an ear to the BJP. Similarly, the BJP is always keen to meet the Governor. It is a problem when the Governor interferes with the state’s functioning”.
TMC leader Partha Chatterjee reasserted Mamata Banerjee’s claims saying, “In this entire issue, it appear that the Governor is speaking in the voice of the BJP and their political agenda.” Quite clearly, the Army has blown apart every shred of credibility in TMC’s allegations against them by reproducing valid documents that highlight the utter lack of integrity on the part of the ruling party in Bengal. In such a scenario, it is quite obvious that a lot of people would be quite concerned about the conduct of the Chief Minister. Amidst such a scenario, it’s not very surprising that the governor let his opinions known on the subject. To accuse him of speaking in the voice of the Central government on such a matter is not very honorable.
Meanwhile, as Parliament continues to be stalled over Demonetization, Arun Jaitley has come out with some strong words against the opposition. The Finance Minister said in a Facebook post, “It is now competitive obstructionism between the Congress and the Trinamool which is holding up the debate in Parliament.” The Aam Aadmi Party and the TMC have made a habit of attacking the governor to allege central interference in their respective union territory and State. And the TMC has gone out of its way to even politicize the Army for political mileage. Such irresponsible and unethical political stunts are a direct threat to our democracy and its institutions and it’s high time that Politicians learn to conduct themselves in a way that does not undermine the Federal Structure of our constitution.
