The CPI-M and Congress questioned why West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday casually mentioned Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)and National Register of Citizens (NRC) during his Budget address and wondered whether it was outcome of any secret deal between the Trinamul Congress and the Centre. They also slammed the Governor for holding meeting with the Assembly speaker Biman Banerjee in the latter’s chambers violating the convention.

Leader of the Opposition Abdul Mannan said Dhankhar did not deviate from the written speech prepared by the state government but they suspect that the Governor had influenced the state government not to write anything in the Budget speech that is against the Central government. “We saw even the state government did not mention the name of the two youths in the Budget speech, who were killed at Jalangi during their anti-CAA and NRC movement,” he said.

Mannan also said that there are several serious issues those are being deliberately neglected by the Union government and chief minister along with other ministers vehemently protested against the Centre for not resolving those matters. But those issues were mysteriously omitted from the Budget speech.

“Where is the protest of the state government against negligible funds to improve the poor infrastructure of the tea gardens? Why state government keeps itself silent over LIC and Railway privatisation,” he asked. Left Front Legislature Party leader and CPI-M central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said that Dhankhar had said on Thursday that he would create history with his address, setting off speculations that he could speak, like before, against the TMC government but what have made him not to deviate from his Budget speech?

“However we assured the state government that we would protest if the Governor would deliver any extra speech which is not compatible. But today we understood that his roar was a political game. Actually the state government has several corrupt practices so this TMC-led government’s showdown with Governor is nothing but an eyewash,” he said. Chakraborty also criticised Dhankhar as the governor, after his speech, entered into the chambers of Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay in the Assembly premises.

“The governor broke the convention and entered into the speaker’s chambers and stayed there which he should not do,” said Chakraborty.