Raj Bhaban on Monday rejected reports in connection with the West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose unveiling a bust of himself at his official residence, Governor House, on completion of two years in office.
Raj Bhaban has also formed a two-member panel to probe the details of reports carried in some media.
Today, it has also been clarified that the bust installed inside his residential complex was presented to him by a sculptor.
Today, Mr Bose found himself virtually in a row after the Indian Museum shared pictures of him unveiling own bust. This prompted the ruling Trinamul Congress in the state to come down heavily on the Governor.
“In alignment with (his) vision to foster creativity and cultural appreciation, we proudly hosted the unveiling of a bust of Dr C V Ananda Bose, Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal. Sculpted by the talented Shri Partha Saha of the Indian Museum, (it) was unveiled by (Bose) himself,” the museum wrote on X-handle.
“The governor did not unveil any bust of himself at the Raj Bhavan nor did he instal it anywhere on the premises of the Raj Bhavan. This is absolutely wrong information. The bust was presented to the Governor,” Raj Bhaban sources said.
“Several artists submit their creations to the Governor. Painters made his portraits and presented them to him. Similarly, a sculptor made the bust and presented it to Bose,” the sources said requesting anonymity.
This has unfortunately been described as “unveiling his own statue”, the sources said, alleging, “This might be a move planned by people from outside the Raj Bhaban to bring a bad name to the Governor.”
Two years back on 23 November, Mr Bose took over as the constitutional head in West Bengal from his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is now the vice-president.
Since then, Mr Bose has had a war of words with the Mamata Banerjee government over a number of issues, including the appointment of vice-chancellors of state universities, and alleged snooping of Kolkata Police personnel in his office.
The unveiling of Mr Bose has prompted the Trinamul Congress and CPM to criticise him.
“The unveiling of one’s own bust in Raj Bhawan is unheard of before the event. It is in bad taste,” said a senior leader of the ruling party.