oppn parties West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar Angers The TMC With "Intemperate" Statements

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West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar Angers The TMC With "Intemperate" Statements

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2021-02-20 11:37:04

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has landed himself in a controversy by making "political statements". The governor was speaking to reporters in Shantiniketan after attending Visva Bharati's convocation when he said that "jab pachatarva saal ho toh badlav ana chahiye" (change should come in the 75th year). He was referring to the 75th anniversary of India's independence this year and the ensuing elections in the state.

The governor also said that "there is an atmosphere of fear. People are so scared that they are unable to say they are scared". Referring to the state of affairs in the state, he said "where has it slipped to decade after decade".

The Trinamool Congress was livid. Party MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee said that "the governor has reduced himself to being a BJP agent. He is holding the BJP flag even in the Raj Bhawan. The role of the governor is well-defined by successive Supreme Court judgments. He is making a mockery of the post he holds".

Dhankhar has never had a cordial relationship with the state government. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been critical of his actions many times in the past. But Dhankhar must recognize that pulling up state officials, calling them to Raj Bhawan and sending reports to the Union home ministry are all his constitutional functions and despite the reservations expressed by the state government, he is within his rights to undertake all of them.

But one feels that the governor has crossed the line by making such blatantly political statements. He must realize that the office he holds is above politics. He is the constitutional head of the state. Hence, he is expected to behave like a statesman and not air his personal views (which increasingly sound like the view of the state BJP) in public. If there is an atmosphere of fear and people are scared, he should mention that in his report to the Centre giving specific instances. The Centre is best placed to take action.

Such behavior puts the role of governor in question. Already the Centre has had to remove Kiran Bedi as governor of Puducherry after the state government ran a prolonged campaign against her for putting hurdles before it. As West Bengal gets ready for what are likely to be fiercely contested elections with a huge chance of bloodshed, the governor must be his constitutionally-mandated neutral self. He should neither take sides nor seen to be doing so.

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