Amid Impasse With Mamata Banerjee, Governor Issues Invite For Talks

Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, blocked on Twitter by Mamata Banerjee, nonetheless tweeted an invitation to the Chief Minister today for a discussion. Though he did not name a subject, he said in the tweet that a "lack of response" can "lead to Constitutional stalemate which we both are ordained by our oath to avert".

In his letter, talking of the need for dialogue, Mr Dhankhar said, "All my earnest efforts in this direction have unfortunately not fructified in view of the stance at our end... There has been no response, now for long, to issues legitimately flagged and in respect of which there is constitutional duty at your end..."

The invite came days after Ms Banerjee planned a meeting of opposition Chief Ministers to discuss the "Constitutional overstepping and brazen misuse of power by the Governors".

Mr Dhankhar alleged "incondonable constitutional lapse" after two top officials of the state government -- Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi and Director General of Police Manoj Malaviya -- skipped scheduled meetings with him.

His tweet today read:

In his second tweet, Mr Dhankhar said he had "Impressed upon Hon'ble CM Mamata Banerjee that "Dialogue, discussion and deliberation, particularly amongst constitutional functionaries, like the Chief Minister and the Governor, are quintessential to democracy and inseparable part of Constitutional governance".

Accusing the Governor of being a stooge of the BJP-led Central government, Ms Banerjee has locked horns with him for years. Recently, she even blocked him from her Twitter after he said the state had become "a gas chamber for democracy".

Her Trinamool Congress party had declared that it would bring a "resolution" against the Governor in the budget session of the assembly, accusing him transgressing constitutional limits.

The Chief Minster also said she had made several appeals to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his removal, but no action has been taken.

Last month, the state government engaged a new Vice-Chancellor for Diamond Harbour Women's University hours after Mr Dhankhar -- who is also the Chancellor of the University appointed a person who expressed "unwillingness" to accept the post. Mr Dhankhar later alleged that vice chancellors of 25 state universities have been appointed without his approval.