TMC attacks Bengal’s governor in response to his remarks on the MoS convoy attack.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal accused governor C V Ananda Bose of being a representative of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, a day after he condemned a recent attack on a Union minister’s convoy in the state – a development that may end the brief period of goodwill that the two sides have shared thus far.
On Saturday, Bose criticised the attack on Nisith Pramanik’s convoy in Cooch Behar, stating that “anti-social individuals who try to take the law into their own hands will be dealt with harshly.”
“I have conducted secret inquiries and discussed the situation with… Pramanik. It is astounding that such acts occurred in a country renowned for its sophisticated culture and the great tradition of civilised behaviour, he added.
“Protest is an integral aspect of democracy, but violence has no place in civilised behaviour. Antisocial elements who attempt to circumvent the law will be dealt with severely. The violence will be eradicated ruthlessly. All those who are dedicated to doing so should uphold the Constitution. “Bengal expects every official, whether in the police or the magistracy, to carry out his duties without fear or favour,” he continued.
On Monday, the TMC said in its publication Jago Bangla that Bose was following in the footsteps of his predecessor and current Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, with whom the Mamata Banerjee-led government has traditionally had a contentious relationship.
Former governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had demonstrated that the governor is a representative of the BJP charged with carrying out the party’s secret agenda. “The incumbent governor has entered the race to succeed his predecessor,” the party wrote in an editorial.
HT attempted to contact Raj Bhavan but did not receive a response immediately.
The TMC also inquired about “secret inquiries” conducted by the governor concerning the attack on the convoy. It inquired why the governor did not communicate with the state administration.
“The governor makes unilateral remarks. What does he mean by inquiries conducted in confidence? Did he only reach his conclusion after speaking with Pramanik? Will he not communicate with the state government? Will he not discover what the actual situation was? The editorial stated that the people of Bengal want the governor to remain impartial.
“…It must be noted that the governor was a member of the BJP,” it continued.
The TMC’s attack on Bose occurred after an initial period of cordial relations between Raj Bhavan and the chief minister’s office, which underlined the reversal of antagonism between the two sides during Dhankhar’s tenure as Bengal governor from July 2019 to June 2022.
Banerjee frequently accused Dhankhar of doing the BJP’s bidding. In January 2022, the TMC proposed that former president Ram Nath Kovind dismiss Dhankhar from his position as governor.
Bose opened the budget session of the state assembly earlier this month by praising the TMC government’s accomplishments, while BJP leaders chanted slogans and walked out in protest.
In addition, he heaped adulation on the prime minister. Banerjee earned an honorary doctor of literature degree from Kolkata’s St Xavier’s University on February 6. At the ceremony, Bose compared her to other “statesmen and politicians” who were writers such as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, APJ Abdul Kalam, and Winston Churchill.
“As West Bengalis, we are ecstatic that our chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, is a member of this elite group,” he remarked at the occasion.
Banerjee attended a programme celebrating Saraswati Puja at the governor’s home on January 26.
“The governor is very kind, and his connection with the state government is excellent, so I do not anticipate any further issues,” the chief minister had remarked.
Banerjee referred to Bose as a “lovely gentleman” and stated that he was “cooperating with the state government” in December 2022, days after Bose’s inauguration as governor on November 23.
State BJP leaders were irritated by the developing relations between the two groups. Then, the state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar visited the governor at Raj Bhavan.
State BJP spokesman Samik Bhattacharya responded to the TMC editorial by stating, “This demonstrates the TMC’s taste, culture, and attitude towards the Indian Constitution.”
