Mamata, Dhankar lock horns over virus fight

‘Governor is violating the Constitution’

24/04/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,KOLKATA

Mamata Banerjee

At a time when West Bengal is battling the spread of COVID-19, relations between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar reached a new nadir on Thursday, with Ms. Banerjee writing to him stating that the “Governor seems to have forgotten that he is a nominated representative and she an elected Chief Minister”.

“You appear to have forgotten that I am an elected Chief Minister of a proud Indian State. You also seem to have forgotten that you are a nominated Governor,” Ms. Banerjee wrote in the five-page letter. Minutes after receiving the letter, Mr. Dhankhar took to Twitter to call it “outrageous, factually wrong and constitutionally infirm”.

The public spat comes after differences between the two increased over issues pertaining to the pandemic. The Chief Minister quoted B.R. Ambedkar’s remarks in the Constituent Assembly and the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission. In view of these comments, she said, “Your repeated and consistent interference in the administration... makes it clear who has fragrantly transgressed constitutional dharma.” She also blamed him for holding press conferences against the State.

The Chief Minister, while making the letter public, said: “The people of this State and of this nation judge themselves who has done what and who is in breach of elementary norms of constitutional behaviour.” On Thursday, the Governor urged the Chief Minister to “ensure a seamless way forward for the Central teams”.