Janjivan Bureau / Kolkata : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today lashed out at Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar for his alleged “unparliamentary” conduct. She also accused the Governor of “transgressing basic norms of decency between two constitutional functionaries”.
In a strongly worded letter to the Governor, Mamata accused Dhankhar of attacking her and her ministers and officers.
Reproducing an SMS Dhankhar had sent her, Mamata said the tone and tenor of the message was “unparliamentary”.
“Repeated and consistent interference in the administration” by Dhankhar amounts to “flagrant transgression of constitutional dharma”, wrote Mamata.
The Chief Minister further stated that Dhankhar’s “expostulation” left her with no choice but to release the letter in the public domain so that people of the state and the country could judge for themselves who had failed to maintain “elementary norms of constitutional behaviour”.
Mamata pointed that while the SMS sent yesterday by Dhankhar gave the impression that the Chief Minister had improperly responded to a letter sent to her by the Governor on Monday, nothing could be far from the truth.
While writing to the Chief Minister on Monday, Dhankhar had expressed concern about the state’s alleged reluctance to avail the free ration scheme announced by the Union Finance Minister.
Dhankhar had also raised the issue of alleged corruption in the public distribution system. He also pulled up Mamata for shortage of corona testing kits in the state.
“I took up the matter with the Union Health Minister only to be informed that ‘there is disconnect in your figures and we have adequate kits awaiting distribution by the state’,” Dhankhar had wrote to the CM.
The Governor had then urged Mamata to “spare time to engage” with him.
In her reply, Mamata had thanked the Governor but politely turned down his invitation, saying that “you would, no doubt, appreciate that the entire state machinery is now engaged to fight against COVID-19 pandemic”.
Citing portions from BR Ambedkar’s speech in the Constituent Assembly in 1949 and recommendations made by the Sarkaria Commission, Mamata cautioned the Governor against “overstepping” his limits.
