West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar's plan to visit post poll violence-affected areas in Cooch Behar district, and Assam where some people from West Bengal have reportedly taken refuge due to the violence, has left the Mamata Banerjee government fuming.
Dhankhar had been expressing concern about post poll violence in Bengal in his tweets since May 3, the day after the declaration of the poll result. At least 16 people were killed in post-poll violence in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said on May 6.
Dhankhar said on Tuesday that he will visit Mathabhanga, Sitalkuchi, Sitai and Dinhata in Cooch Behar on May 13. He will travel to Assam on Friday after his visit to Cooch Behar on Thursday, he said in a tweet. Dhankhar will visit "Ranpagli & Srirampur camps in Assam where due to post poll retributive violence @MamataOfficial some people of WB had taken refuge for safety." Ranpagli is in Dhubri district and Srirampur is in Kokrajhar district of Assam. Both districts are adjacent to West Bengal.
Following the tweets, Banerjee in a strongly worded letter to Dhankhar, said his visit to Cooch Behar district “violates norms”. She also accused the governor of “steadily ignoring advice to refrain from surpassing the CM, ministers by dictating state officials”.
In her letter, Banerjee also alleged that Dhankhar has been directly communicating with state government officers and dictating them, though she had earlier requested him to refrain from doing so.
"I find from social media that you are unilaterally proceeding to Cooch Behar district on May 13 and, sadly, I find that to be violative of the long-standing norms as evolved over several decades.
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"I, therefore, would expect you will kindly follow the well-established norms of protocol, as stated above, and desist from abrupt decisions with regards to field visits," Banerjee's letter to Dhankhar read.
The CM referred to the 'Manual of Protocol and Ceremonials' of the home department of the state government, which says that visits of governors are finalised by the secretary of the governor after obtaining the orders of the government.
Trinamool Congress, which has shared an acrimonius relation with Dhankhar since its previous term in the government when he assumed office in July 2019, also flayed him saying he is behaving in a manner ''unbecoming'' of one holding the gubernatorial post.
TMC MP Kalyan Bandyopadhyay told reporters that he did not know if a governor can conduct himself in such a way.
"Being a lawyer, I cannot recall any another instance of a governor behaving in such a manner. It is unbecoming of one who holds the gubernatorial post. I think it is aimed at influencing the judiciary as a case is being heard in Calcutta High Court," he said.
The HC is hearing a case on post poll violence in the state. A PIL had been filed by lawyer petitioner Anindya Sundar Das, who raised the issue of violence taking place in various parts of the state after the state assembly elections in which the Trinamool Congress trounced BJP.
State minister Rabindranath Ghosh, who hails from the north Bengal district, said, "Dhankhar is coming to disrupt the peaceful situation in Cooch Behar."
Countering TMC's charges, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya wondered why would TMC object if the governor visits a place rocked by political violence and he wants to be on the side of the affected people.
"They (TMC) have got the mandate of people. Then why are they upset if the governor of the state wants to met the people? Are the injured and affected in political violence not residents of Bengal?" he asked.
Five persons were killed, four of them in firing by central armed police force (CAPF) personnel and a first time voter in firing by goons, at Sitalkuchi on April 10 during the fourth phase of assembly poll in West Bengal.
Post poll violence has been reported from various places in the state, with both the opposition BJP and the ruling TMC accusing each other of attacks on their workers.
(With PTI inputs)