Ahead of the upcoming civic polls in the state, the Governor Jagdeep Dhankar today raised a question on the law and order situation in the state and asked “how polls can be held peacefully in a state where explosives are openly sold while violence dominate areas?” Speaking at an event in Madhyamgram, Governor Dhankar questioned, “How can polls be held peacefully in a state where explosives are sold brazenly? My heart bleeds each time an explosion takes place in this state. Every time a blast occurs, it claims human lives. How could a state that has given us Nobel laureates, be an epicentre of violence?”

It may be mentioned that crude bombs were recently recovered from Birbhum and East Burdwan districts in the state. Illegal fireworks were seized from manufacturing units in Naihati in North 24 Parganas which exploded on January 9 when police were attempting to diffuse it. The Governor highlighted, “I am a person who strictly abides by the constitution of India and I must not be mistaken for a critic of the state. I must be considered as a well wisher and a noble advisor who desires development for the state of West Bengal.”

Mr Dhankar also referred to the incidents of violence and vandalism during protests against the CAA/NRC/NPR in the state. He highlighted that the “government and Governor are two wheels of the same vehicle and hence there needs to be coordination between the two.” He reiterated how he abided by the constitution while giving his budget speech in the state Assembly recently. Mr Dhankar, without naming Narendra Modi, said “Our Prime Minister is today one of the top global leaders and this decade will decide the future course of India.”

The Governor was attending an event that was organised by West Bengal state Bharat scouts and guides and the theme for the event was ‘peace and harmony’. Mr Dhankar referring to the salute posture of the scouts, said “ It is the strong who have always looked after the weak and this has always been the tradition in our country.” Further taking a jibe at the state government and stating how he has been a stickler for rules, Dhankhar alleged that he was not even sent proper documents by the state government for sanctioning of Money Bill and that he only cleared it after proper documents were presented to him.

Meanwhile, the Trinamul Congress state education minister, Partha Chatterjee, commenting on the Governor’s statements, said “The Governor has quite apparently become a daily commentator and in this case he is commenting on the law and order situation in the state. I am not a daily commentator unlike the Governor who has chosen to remain afloat and prominent in media through his commentary. He can do much better work by sitting in Raj Bhawan than by stepping out to seek media’s help for publicity.”