The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal (WB) is frequently breaking constitutional obligations, be it targeted attacks on Hindu citizens of the state or not adhering to legislative assembly procedures. Moreover, confrontations with Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar are a frequent part of the Mamata-led government’s routine.
In the latest confrontation, Governor Dhankhar refused to read the whole speech prepared by the government for the start-of-the-budget session in the WB legislative assembly because it had no mention of the post-poll violence in the state that led to the migration of numerous Hindus to neighbouring Assam.
The BJP leaders started to protest during the Governor’s speech because there was no mention of the killing of BJP workers by TMC goons, and Dhankhar decided to cut the speech short. “We staged the agitation because the speech prepared by the government did not mention post-poll violence although it is now a national issue. We were not protesting against the governor,” said the leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari.
He added, “We won 77 seats. We protested during the speech of the Governor because it has been written by the state government. It doesn’t mention anything about the post-poll violence. We have shown pictures of 41 people killed in the violence while many women have been raped. But there was no mention of that in the speech. We respect the Governor. He also protested against the post-poll violence and we respect his stand. But the speech that he delivered was prepared by the Cabinet of Mamata Banerjee. The Governor had no say in it.”
The state government is in a continuous confrontation with the Governor’s office and is making efforts to diminish the role and respect of the highest office in the state. Previously, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee stooped to a new low when he said that India would get its ‘Second Independence Day’ in 2024, when ‘that incompetent person’ is replaced. He also told the media in an ‘assuring’ tone, that a lot of BJP leaders would be arrested after 2024. “Don’t worry. After 24, you will find it all over India – so many BJP leaders are going to prison.”
Enraged by the arrest of his colleagues – Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra, and Sovan Chatterjee, who were nabbed by the CBI in connection to the Narada scam, Kalyan said, “I know no criminal proceeding can be initiated against the governor but I will request each and everyone to lodge complaints at the concerned police stations wherever the governor has provoked violence, dividing religion…a case [against Dhankhar] can be started the day he retires.”
Governor Dhankhar has been a brute force standing his ground against the torrential rule of Mamata, where political killings have become the new norm after May 2. He had also allowed the CBI to probe against Mamata’s close compatriots in the Narada scam.
The TMC supremo had even staged a protest against the CBI office and stopped the court hearing. In response, the Governor gave a stern message to the party by cutting his speech short because it lacked mentions of the killings of BJP workers by TMC goons. Due to her loss against Suvendhu Adhikari in Nandigram, she would need to win a by-poll election in order to remain the CM for more than 6 months. Seemingly, if she fails to secure a sat, her tenure would be cut short just like Governor cut the speech short.
