The chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, returned to Kolkata after a 12-day foreign trip, on Saturday, while on Tuesday, the Governor, CV Anand Bose, is set to embark on his own foreign journey. As of now, there hasn’t been any official announcement from Raj Bhavan regarding the purpose of the governor’s trip. However, it is known that he will depart for America on Tuesday.
Interestingly, Bose had obtained approval from the President’s Office for his over-seas trip. Approval from the President’s Office is required for any governor to travel abroad.
Mamata Banerjee’s trip included visits to Spain and Dubai, where she engaged in discussions with industrialists and met with non-resident Indians. The discussions primarily revolved around investments in Bengal, and she returned to Kolkata on Sat urday after a successful visit. In the backdrop of this, tensions continue to simmer between Nabanna (the state government’s headquarters) and Raj Bhavan (the governor’s house).
The recent appointments of temporary vice-chancellors for various universities by the governor sparked a dispute involving the state government and the University Grants Commission. Even on Sunday, the governor held meetings with all vice-chancellors, a meeting that was preceded by instructions to ensure their presence. Further more, there has been an
ongoing conflict regarding the oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected MLA Nirmal Chandra Roy of the Trinamool Congress.
Although preparations were made at Raj Bhavan to administer the oath, the state secretariat (Nabanna) contested this arrangement.While the Raj Bhavan had initiated preparations to administer the oath, the event is yet to take place. It remains to be seen whether the conflict will escalate further. During these developments, the upcoming Red Road Durga Puja Carnival, where the governor is traditionally invited, assumes added significance this year. However, given the current atmosphere of political tensions and courtesy exchanged through letters, the implica- tions of these developments remain uncertain.
The governor will meet some NRIs and take part in a literary conference and return to Kolkata on 7 Oct