In Bengal, amid first chill in their ties, Mamata govt, Governor signal a thaw

To defuse tension between TMC govt and Governor Bose, minister Bratya Basu

To defuse tension between TMC govt and Governor Bose, minister Bratya Basu says there is ‘no chance’ of a rerun of tussle seen during Jagdeep Dhankhar’s Raj Bhavan stint. The bonhomie between West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and the Mamata Banerjee government seems to be winding down, with both sides indulging in a verbal duel reminiscent of the acrimonious relationship between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) dispensation and former Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, the current Vice President.

Following months of their cordial relations, Governor Bose and the TMC locked horns soon after the convoy of Union minister Nisith Pramanik was allegedly attacked by the ruling party’s workers at Dinhata in Cooch Behar last Saturday. The window panes of Pramanik’s vehicle were damaged in this incident even though he escaped unhurt.

A day later, Bose strongly criticised the TMC government, terming the attack on Pramanik’s convoy “deplorable” and asserting that he will not be a “mute witness” to the deterioration of law and order in the state. He also sought an immediate action taken report from the law enforcement authorities over the incident. “It is shocking that such incidents happened in a land which is known for its refined culture and enviable history of civilised conduct… The government will take immediate and perceptible action while dealing with the criminals and upholding the rule of law,” Bose said.

In response to Bose’s hard-hitting statement, the TMC’s organ, Jago Bangla, in an editorial Monday called the former a “BJP cadre”, charging that he was following in the footsteps of his predecessor Dhankhar. “Jagdeep Dhankhar had proved that the Governor is someone who is actually a representative to implement the hidden agenda of the BJP. The present Governor has begun to follow in his footsteps,” it wrote.

Jago Bangla also stated that the Governor issued his statement after listening to the BJP’s “one-sided claim”. “We have to remember that the Governor (Bose) was once a BJP cadre,” it added, questioning the Raj Bhavan’s silence on several other recent incidents such as a BSF jawan allegedly shooting a Rajbanshi youth and the alleged rape of a BSF female constable by an inspector.

Stepping up the TMC’s attack on Bose, senior party leader Madan Mitra said: “No one is our Governor. They are also not the Governor for the federal system of the country. They are all BJP’s Governors. This Governor (Bose) thought he will slowly show his true colours. But we have caught him off guard and understood his cleverness. Don’t try to intimidate us. If he is keeping us under surveillance, he is also under our surveillance. He is not above the law or the Constitution.”

The BJP, which had earlier been miffed with Bose for warming up to the Mamata government, quickly rose in his defence and hit out at the TMC.

BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said, “The Governor was in the good books of the TMC when he was attending government programmes and showering praises on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The moment he raised his voice on the deterioration of law and order, the real face of the ruling party has come out. He has protested against the unjust attack on the Union minister. It is his duty to object to such incidents. But the TMC wants a Governor who will toe their line.”

Earlier this month, the first major confrontation between the TMC and Bose took place following the latter’s decision to relieve his principal secretary Nandini Chakravorty of her duties. Sources said Chakravorty had refused to clear a proposal for the formation of an advisory committee for the Governor in which Bose wanted to include a former IAS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre and an ex-IPS officer who had been the CBI special director as well as Delhi Police commissioner.

Bose’s decision to jettison Chakravorty did not go down well with the TMC, which criticised it. The Mamata government, however, accepted it later and appointed Chakravorty as the principal secretary in the state tourism department.

Earlier, the state BJP leaders had criticised Bose following an event at the Raj Bhavan attended by Mamata on January 26. To start learning Bengali, Bose had then organised a “Haathe Khori (initiation with a chalk)” ceremony.

In Bengali families, the ritual is organised to mark the formal beginning of a child’s education.

While the CM attended the “Haathe Khori” event, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari boycotted it, alleging that it was part of the state government’s attempt to “wash off the stain” of the alleged teacher recruitment scam. Dilip Ghosh and the BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta also criticised the event. At the time, BJP insiders said a section of the party’s state leaders was not appreciative of Bose’s “friendly approach” to the ruling party.

Although the ties between the Raj Bhavan and the TMC government were marked with bitterness and even hostility during Dhankhar’s tenure, mainly due to the latter’s regular criticism of the Mamata dispensation on multiple issues, this seemed to improve since Bose took charge on November 23 last year. In December, Banerjee called the Governor a “perfect gentleman” after meeting him at the Raj Bhavan. On January 17, after a meeting with Bose and vice-chancellors of all universities in the state, education minister Bratya Basu said the Raj Bhavan and the state secretariat would work together for the development of the education sector.

Meanwhile, in a bid to defuse the tension between the TMC government and the Raj Bhavan, Basu said Tuesday that there was “no chance” of a rerun of the tussle witnessed during Dhankhar’s term.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Bose and vice-chancellors of the state-run universities at the Raj Bhavan, Basu said, “What happened between the state government and Raj Bhavan, is a thing of the past. I say this with authority that there is no chance of repeating the past. Notwithstanding the speculations and provocations, Nabanna (state secretariat) and Raj Bhavan will work together now… under the guidance and wisdom of the Honourable Governor and the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.”

On his part, Bose said, “The relation between the state and the Raj Bhavan should be of constructive cooperation. Governance is an incessant process; there will be checks and balances, mid-course corrections and improvement.”