Knives out in Bengal amid Covid crisis; Mamata, Guv in turf war
Kolkata, Apr 23 () The face-off between the WestBengal government and Raj Bhavan escalated on Thursday, withChief Minister Mamata Banerjee accusing Governor JagdeepDhankhar of repeatedly interfering in the functioning of thestate administration, and the latter asserting a state cannotbe governed as a personal fiefdom.
At daggers drawn for the last several months, the twowent for each others jugular with Banerjee shooting off aletter to Dhankhar in the backdrop of his recent criticism ofthe government over the way the state was tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Banerjees allegation drew a sharp reaction fromDhankhar, who said, a state cannot be governed as a personalfiefdom and a constitutional functionary cannot be allowed toturn into a law unto oneself.
In a strongly worded five-page letter to the governor,Banerjee said Dhankhar has forgotten that she is the "electedchief minister of a proud Indian state" whereas he is anominated governor.
"You have to judge for yourself, whether your directattacks on me, my ministers, officers, your tone, tenor andlanguage, which in mildest words of extreme moderation,deserve to be characterized as parliamentary, your holdingpress conferences against the state government of which youare a governor, your repeated and consistent interference inthe administration of my ministries make it clear as to whohas flagrantly transgressed constitutional dharma...," shewrote.
Banerjee claimed the governor's conduct does notconform to even "basic norms of decency" betweenconstitutional functionaries.
Dhankhar was quick to respond, tweeting, "Acommunication @MamataOfficial has been received. Outrageouslyfactually wrong and constitutionally infirm.
Recognised Non Resident Bengali Doctors have in aneye opener representation flagged concern? @MamataOfficial inCOVID 19 battle. Worrisome issues flagged 1. Gross under-testing in West Bengal, and 2. Misreporting of data on thecause of death in COVID-19 patients, he said.
Dhankhar then shot back with a missive to the chiefminister, saying There has been a total failure at your endall through as regards compliance of constitutionalprescriptions qua (in so far as) the constitutional head.
The enormity of the situation and lapses at your endis that in spite of repeated communications for compliance youhave blackholed all my communications resulting in the virtualnegation of Articles 166 and 167 of the Constitution, he saidin a five-page reply.
In her letter, Banerjee referred to a text messagefrom the governor and said the tone, tenor, and language wasunprecedented.
Terming Dhankhar's statement to the audiovisual media"to warn her" an "unprecedented event", Banerjee said, thegovernor continues to ignore all advice and inputs given byher and the council of ministers since his appointment.
She also annexed a two-page letter from Dhankhar wherehe had castigated her government.
In his April 24 letter, Dhankhar had said the statewas passing through severe and stressful times because ofthe COVID-19 pandemic. He claimed that despite repeated pleasfor interaction with the government on the issue, only thestates chief secretary had met him once.
He had asked the state government to unlock thislogjam and bring down the state governments iron curtain inthe larger interest of the people.
Dhankhar said after Banerjee complained about thepaucity of testing kits, he had contacted the union healthminister who told him that adequate number of kits wereavailable with the state government.
The governor also wrote about the states publicdistribution system being in disarray during the COVID 19-induced lockdown and said it was resulting in peopleincrementally getting into agitational mode.
In his Thursday's missive after receiving Banerjeesletter, the governor wrote both of them are constitutionalfunctionaries and their roles in relation to each other areclearly defined in the Constitution.
The Constitution does not allow any constitutionalfunctionary to be law unto oneself and the state cannot berun like a fiefdom. It has to be governed with completeadherence to constitutional prescriptions, he said.
Referring to the series of indignities andindiscretions heaped by the chief minister and her ministers,he said Banerjees constant refrain of the governor beingnominated is lamentable and can be ascribed only toelementary ignorance of the Constitution.
Noting that going by the chief ministers response thegovernor should be in sleep mode, totally non-functional andconfined to Raj Bhavan, the governor said the the reading ofthe Constitution at your end or by your advisors is not sharedby me and goes against the essence, letter, and spirit of theConstitution.
"Let me indicate for the benefit of the people of WestBengal that for their welfare, I would ever be in persuasivemode. I would bend to an extreme degree to serve them. I willplead with you as CM and the Government to see the writing onthe wall, to follow the Constitution, but this mode of mineshould not be misunderstood as my weakness.
I would rise spinally to serve the people of theState and vindicate my oath under all challenges, he said.
The fresh confrontation between Raj Bhawan and thestate government set off a political storm in the state withBengal BJP leadership firmly standing behind the governor andthe TMC wondering whether the governor has taken over themantle of the opposition leader.
"Governor did the right thing by pointing out thelacunae and unconstitutional approach of the state government.The way the governor has been insulted by the ministers of theTMC government is unprecedented," state BJP president DilipGhosh said.
State parliamentary affairs minister and senior TMCleader Partha Chatterjee said in his long political career hehas never ever come across "such a governor who has anapproach of bossing over the state government".
"I have never such a governor whose all communicationsreflect a bossing approach. It seems he has taken up themantle of opposition leader in the state," he said. PNT SKSK SK