The war of words between Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and chief minister Mamata Banerjee continued today with the latter issuing a 13- page letter accusing him of trying to “usurp powers” amid the Coronavirus crisis and asking him to desist from using official communications and logos on social media as well as asking him to cooperate with the state government.

In response to the two letters written by Dhankhar on 23 and 24 April respectively, Banerjee today wrote that the language, tone, tenor and contents were “unprecedented in the annals of Indian Constitution and political history”.

She wrote that his words against her, her ministers and officers “can be described as vituperative, intemperate, intimidating and abusive”. Responding to Banerjee’s letter, Dhankhar tweeted that there is “no substance in her version, both in fact and law, I appreciate her stance ‘for full cooperation with State Government”.

In her letter, Banerjee challenged that such correspondence between the Governor and chief minister has never taken place since the inception of the Constitution.

His letters have made her feel more sad than angry, she added. She wrote that if Dhankhar does not agree with her of her government or if he feels that the state is not being run in the manner he likes or finds the decisions or policies are wrong then he should bring his grievances to her attention instead of writing to ministers, departments, officers or go to Press or public.

“If it is still not resolved to your satisfaction, there is, unfortunately no other power in you, so long as my government commands the confidence of the legislature,” she wrote adding that even if he dislikes decisions of the state government, in legislation he is obliged to sign and accede to the state govt’s wishes.

“Truth is always bitter but that is the harsh constitutional truth. If you are unable to reconcile to this reality, you should have chosen my seat instead of yours. All rhetoric and adjectives aside, this truth is unalterable. Unfortunately, and this is the rub of the problem, you have neither absorbed nor internalised this,” she wrote.

Banerjee quoted from three Supreme Court judgments to underline Dhankhar’s status, pointing to a 2016 ruling in which the top court said “… not within the realm of the Governor to embroil himself in any political thicket. Governor must remain aloof from any disagreement, discord, disharmony… within individual political parties… Governor must keep clear of horse-trading”.

At the end of the pointed letter Banerjee told Dhankhar, in no uncertain terms, that he had limited powers to bring about any change and urged him to act “politely”. She asked Dhankhar to refrain from intensifying his efforts to usurp powers, especially during such crisis.

“Please do not attempt to destroy the singularity of the real executive organ of the state and please do not dream of a dyarchy in the state,” her letter read. Seven persons died due to Corona in the last 24 hours and 70 positive cases were detected today. Since yesterday, 45 patients were discharged.

She said that according to history the colonially engineered scheme of dyarchy in 1770s destroyed the political economy of Bengal.

“Your conduct statements and letters from Day 1 remind the people of Bengal of those dark days of dyarchy in Bengal’s 18th century history,” she wrote. Further, Miss Banerjee asked Mr Dhankhar to desist from using official communications/ logos between Nabanna and Raj Bhawan for continuous tweets in social media, hold officers responsible for things about which they do not have the liberty to open their mouths in the social media and hold press conferences unilaterally attacking the state government, ministers and officers.

In response, Mr Dhankhar tweeted: “Response to my letter dated 24/4 has been sent @MamataOfficial today and is in public domain. Hence this comment prior to response. At the outset in this critical time I urge her to focus on grim situation and work in togetherness towards alleviating untold public miseries. While I find no substance in her version, both in fact and law, I appreciate her stance ‘for full cooperation with State Government’.

Persistently I had been beseeching her to work in togetherness as we are faced virtually with roof falling situation. Hope she acts as such.No time to bicker. There are no sane takers for this unseemly scenario. I have held enough close to my chestlooks like revealing is becoming unavoidable. Reply will be sent as her letter has content to which I cannot subscribe as it eclipses essence of constitution.”

Miss Banerjee’s letter came a few hours after Mr Dhankhar blamed her government of hiding facts related to Covid- 19 and asked to share data relating to Covid-19 “transparently.”

He took to Twitter, questioning why the bulletin on 1 May was not released, Mr Dhankhar posted: “Give up ‘Covid-19 data cover up operation’ ?@MamataOfficial and share it transparently. Health bulletin 30/4 No of Active Covid cases 572. No health bulletin on May 1!! Information to central Government No of cases 931.”

The state government yesterday said that the Centre’s classification Centre’s classification of ten districts in the State as red zones is erroneous. As per the Centre’s criteria, the number of red zone districts should be four, not ten.

Reacting to the heated exchange between the Governor and the CM, leader of the Opposition, Abdul Mannan said they should immediately forsake their war of words.

“Otherwise, the locked down people will be getting a wrong message,” he added. “It is a strange phenomena that the intensity of the disagreement between governor and chief minister is rising almost in proportion to the spread of Covid-19 virus in the state,” former PCC chief Pradip Bhattacharya said today.