West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar wrote to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today, accusing her of remaining mute on the state’s post-election violence and failing to take actions to rehabilitate and recompense the victims.
The Governor wrote hours before leaving for a four-day visit to Delhi, requesting an immediate meeting with the Chief Minister to discuss the problems he raised.
“I am constrained to observe your continued silence and inaction over post poll retributive bloodshed, violation of human rights, outrageous assault on dignity of women, wanton destruction of property, perpetuation of untold miseries on political opponents – worst since Independence and it ill augurs for democracy,” Mr Dhankhar wrote in the letter to Ms Banerjee, a copy of which he shared on Twitter.
“Your studied silence, coupled with absence of any steps to engage in rehabilitation and compensation to alleviate the unimaginable suffering of people, force an inevitable conclusion that all this is state driven,” he alleged.
Mr Dhankhar, who has clashed with the Trinamool Congress government on a number of issues since entering office in July 2019, has accused the state’s police and administration of being political.
During his May 13-15 journey to Coochbehar, Nandigram, and Ranpagli in Assam, the Governor wrote, he heard heartbreaking instances of individuals suffering for voting their preferred candidate in the West Bengal assembly elections.
The Governor’s visit to these locations sparked a battle of words between him and the chief minister, with Ms Banerjee writing to him, alleging that his visit violates standards, and Mr Dhankhar retorting that he is carrying his constitutionally prescribed tasks.
The Governor said that on May 17, the Chief Minister “spent six hours at the CBI headquarters at Nizam Palace requesting release of the arrested men in an unprecedented way.”
Ms Banerjee went to the CBI headquarters just after two of her cabinet ministers, Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, TMC MLA Madan Mitra, and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee, were arrested in connection with the Narada sting tape case.
The Governor asked the Chief Minister to discuss the post-election violence with his cabinet, take all necessary actions to restore peace and order, and give relief to the victims.
