Keshari Nath Tripathi was at loggerheads with the Trinamool Congress government
Former West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, who had spoken his mind on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeasement policy, had expected that she would be present when he left the Raj Bhavan to bid adieu to the state, sources close to him said today.
Mr Tripathi had expressed this to his close associates before leaving the Raj Bhavan on Sunday, they said.
"The honourable Governor thought that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be coming to bid him good bye personally ... Tripathiji expected this courtesy from Banerjee before leaving the state. After all he stayed here for five years," the sources told news agency PTI.
Mr Tripathi, who was at loggerheads with the Trinamool Congress government on a number of issues during his tenure, had created a stir on Saturday by saying that Ms Banerjee's "appeasement policy" is adversely affecting the social harmony of the state.
He had gone on to say that she has the vision and power to implement her decisions but needs to keep a check on her sentiments and exercise restraint.
TMC had hit back saying he was merely trying to gain some brownie points. The party along with opposition CPI-M and Congress termed the comment untimely as he had already demitted office then.
Mr Tripathi had also described his experience in the state as "sweet and sour" and maintained that education and law-and-order situation in the state should to be improved to ensure its overall progress. The governor-designate Jagdeep Dhankar would be sworn in on Tuesday.
The state government had organised a farewell dinner for Mr Tripathi at Raj Bhavan on July 11 and Banerjee had then met the governor. "That (dinner) was part of the custom. Banerjee was present at the dinner and the two spoke to each other for quite sometime," the source said.
Two ministers Arup Roy and Rajib Banerjee had seen off Mr Tripathi at Howrah railway station when he left for his home town Allahabad.