This Article is From Jun 16, 2021

"Don't Come Back": Trinamool Says Bengal Governor Violating Constitutional Norms

Senior Trinamool leader Sougata Ray accused Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar of violating constitutional norms and not taking the state government into confidence over various decisions and statements he has made in the recent past.

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India News

Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar is on a four-day visit to Delhi. (File)

Kolkata:

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has accused Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is on a visit to New Delhi, of violating constitutional norms and asked him not to return to the state.

The BJP, on the other hand, alleged that it is the Trinamool which has no respect for the Constitution and asked the Mamata Banerjee-led party to respect constitutional posts.

Mr Dhankhar, who shares a strained relationship with the state government, went to the national capital on Tuesday night for a four-day trip. He had not specified any reason for the visit.

The governor today said he met Union ministers Prahlad Joshi and Prahlad Singh Patel. "Had useful interaction with Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs of India @JoshiPralhad on
varied issues," he tweeted.

Senior Trinamool leader and party spokesperson Sougata Ray lashed out at Mr Dhankhar for allegedly violating constitutional norms and not taking the state government into confidence over various decisions and statements he has made in the recent past.

"We have never seen such a governor who has no regard for the Constitution and its norms. He has been violating every constitutional norm. According to our Constitution, the governor is supposed to act as per the instructions of the council of ministers headed by the chief minister. But he doesn't follow any such norm and acts as per his whims and fancies," Mr Ray said.

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He wondered why he has gone to Delhi and is meeting union ministers.

Mr Ray's party colleague and MP, Mahua Moitra, asked Mr Dhankar not to return to the state. "Uncleji going to Delhi on June 15th he says... Do us a favour WB Governor Sahib - don't come back," she said in a tweet.

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The governor went to Delhi a day after a delegation of BJP MLAs petitioned him on alleged deterioration of the law and order situation in the state.

Hours before his departure to the national capital, Mr Dhankhar wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accusing her of being silent over post-poll violence in the state and not taking steps to rehabilitate the suffering people".

He shared the letter on Twitter and the state Home Department criticised the move claiming that it was violative of all established norms.

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West Bengal BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu supported Mr Dhankhar and charged the TMC with not respecting the constitutional post.

"The governor has done nothing unconstitutional. He has been working as per norms. It is the TMC and the state government which have been doing all sorts of unconstitutional things. Before talking about norms, the TMC should first learn to respect the chair," Mr Basu said.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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