Guv annoyed as minister, officials not present at meeting; TMC calls him biased

Ministers and officials in West Bengal did not attend a meeting convened by the state's governor, leading to his disappointment. While on the other hand, members from the TMC called him biased and said that he has exposed himself within 15 days of joining.

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday expressed displeasure over a minister and state government officials not attending a meeting called by him at Siliguri, his first visit outside Kolkata.

Reacting to the development, the ruling Trinamool Congress accused him of not being neutral and making politically biased statements against government officers and departments, and asked him to keep 'silence'.

The relation between the state government and the governor was strained over the Jadavpur University fracas on September 19, when Union minister Babul Supriyo was heckled and held up in the university campus by a section of students and Dhankhar reached there to 'rescue' him.

On Tuesday, the governor had convened a meeting with the Tourism Minister Goutam Deb, home secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, district magistrate of Darjeeling, the MP and MLAs of the district, Mayor of Siliguri Ashok Bhattacharya and others.

While Bhattacharya, who belongs to the CPI(M), and Darjeeling's BJP MP Raju Bista attended the meeting, the others were conspicuous by their absence.

"Honourable minister Goutam Deb and principal secretary of the home department Alapan Bandyopadhyay were supposed to be there (at the meeting). I imagine their absence must be on account of unavoidable state commitments and I would try to connect with them on some other occasion," the governor said.

Dhankhar said he was not a protocol-oriented person, but the presence of the officials would have been beneficial for the people.

"I have seen the virtual total absence of the state administration here. I do believe the DM must have on leave for a proper reason that can happen with all of us. On the police side also the man-in-charge was nowhere to be seen," he told reporters.

"I would have been very happy when the first servant of the state is making his first visit outside Kolkata, the state administration could have been little more involved," the governor said.

Dhankhar inaugurated the newly-constructed building of the Indian Chamber of Commerce here before flying to Delhi, said it does not matter to him who comes to attend his meeting but the lukewarm stand of the state government does not fit in the culture of West Bengal.

TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said it is not desirable that a person holding a constitutional post unnecessarily become overactive and starts interfering in all the aspects of the government.

"The new governor, within 15 days of joining has exposed himself that he is not a neutral person, by making politically biased statements against the government officers and government departments," Chatterjee, who is also education minister, said in Kolkata.

Reminding the governor that his is a nominated post and not an elected one, the senior TMC leader said in a statement, "Our TMC government is peoples' government and is aware what to do and what not to do. Silence please!!!!!"

"The governor should not misuse the constitutional jurisdiction and should avoid political gimmicks every day," he said adding that Dhankhar should visit the beautiful places of the state and enjoy the hospitality of the state government.

The TMC had earlier accused the governor of taking a 'partisan approach' in blaming the state ministry for the Jadavpur university incident.

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