Governor Dhankhar ought to do his work, says Mamata

While the Governor is a fierce critic of the state government, scores of Trinamul Congress leaders right up to Banerjee have repeatedly accused him of being a BJP stooge

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and CM Mamata Banerjee have often been at odds with each other.: File photo

Meghdeep Bhattacharyya   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |   28.12.21  :  Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday virtually expressed displeasure over governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s reluctance in giving approval to proposals or legislations sent to him by the Bengal government or the Assembly.

Mamata on Monday met Speaker Biman Banerjee at the Assembly — parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee joined them virtually — to pick three names for the state human rights commission and the state Lokayukta. Although Suvendu Adhikari was supposed to attend the meeting as the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, he gave it a miss.

After the meeting, responding to questions from journalists on the possibility of delays in approval from the Raj Bhavan occupant given the testy ties he had with Nabanna, Mamata said every judicial directive and central guidelines were adhered to in the processes.

“This committee picks the names, the governor gives his approval, following which they are sworn in. That’s how it works,” said the chief minister.

The doubts linger against the backdrop of a taut relationship between Nabanna and the Raj Bhavan since Dhankhar’s appointment as the governor in July 2019. More so in the wake of delay by him in giving approval to the name of a state information commissioner, besides friction before clearing several recent Bills passed by the Assembly.

While Dhankhar has been a fierce critic — often in virtual echoes of the BJP and other constituents of the saffron ecosystem — of the state government and most of its initiatives, scores of Trinamul Congress leaders right up to Mamata have repeatedly accused him of being a BJP stooge.

“What does one say…. I believe everybody has their own constitutional limitations. I did my work, he (Dhankhar) ought to do his,” said Mamata on Monday, adding that she had nothing more to say on the matter.

The committee picked three retired Calcutta High Court judges for three posts on Monday. The panel decided to give another term to the outgoing state Lokayukta, Justice Ashim Kumar Roy, while former Chief Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya was picked as the chairperson of the state human rights commission. Justice Shivakant Prasad was picked as a member of the commission.

The BJP’s Adhikari had wanted to know from state chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi last week about the names being considered for the state human rights panel and the Lokayukta.

Adhikari had said he would not attend the meeting of the committee if he was not duly informed.

“We informed everyone a week ago, in writing,” said Mamata on Monday.

In his recent meetings with Dhankhar, Adhikari had “raised issues” regarding those appointments and the governor had tweeted on Friday that he had assured the Nandigram MLA of looking into them.

Dhankhar is yet to give his approval to an anti-lynching Bill passed by the Assembly in 2019, besides one on the segregation of the Bally municipal area from the jurisdiction of the Howrah Municipal Corporation. The latter has caused complications in conducting the pending civic polls to the corporation next month.

On Friday, state education minister Bratya Basu had said the state government would examine the Constitution to find out whether the chief minister could be made the chancellor of state universities in place of the governor.

On Sunday, Dhankhar reacted bitterly to Basu, suggesting that the state government attempt making Mamata the governor as well.