With the dust yet to settle after a tug of war between state and the Centre over a cyclone review meeting and the transfer of IAS officer Alapan Bandopadhyay, the governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has raked up a fresh controversy as he took to Twitter claiming the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee had “indicated” to him over a telephonic conversation on 27 May that she and her officials could “boycott” the review meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi if the BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari is present there.
The meeting between the CM and the PM at Kalaikunda over ways to tackle the aftermath of cyclone Yaas instead gave way to a political storm where Miss Banerjee is being accused of ducking the meeting while she maintained that the PM made her wait for reasons unknown despite knowing she was scheduled to visit Digha next to gauge the extent of devastation caused by the flood. She also had pointed out that the PM, however, did not fail to meet his party leaders at the meeting which included Suvendu Adhikari.
Amid the prevailing tussle, Dhankhar claimed on Twitter that a false narrative is being circulated and to set the records straight, he claimed Miss Banerjee had messaged him on 27 May seeking permission to speak to him over the phone. He alleged that the chief minister had indicated to him during their telephonic conversation that she and her officials could “boycott” the meeting with PM if Suvendu Adhikari remains present there. Dhankar wrote that “Ego prevailed over Public service”.
He wrote that CM and her officials did not participate in the meeting that was held to assess the damage caused. “Such boycotts are not in consonance with constitution and federalism. Certainly such actions are neither of public interest nor of the state’s”.
Dhankhar further tweeted, “With unparalleled trampling of constitutional values & affront to the office of PM, May 28 will go down as a dark day in India’s long-standing ethos of cooperative federalism.” “At PM Review Meet # Cyclone Yaas democracy was shredded @ MamataOfficial and Chief secy@IASassociation.”
He felt that “all constitutional principles were torn asunder by the CM and functionaries at the review meet. Democracy imperilled by such unconstitutional stance”.
The Trinamul Congress MP, Sougata Roy said, the less the governor goes to Twitter to express his bickerings, the better it is for the welfare of the state.
Kunal Ghosh, the TMC spokesperson, alleged the governor is not in a sound mind and has been acting like a BJP politician than a state’s governor. He questioned why Dhankhar never asks the Centre as to why dead bodies of Covid patients are being thrown into the river in Uttar Pradesh and in Bengal we are having to guard the water to fish them out?