West Bengal Governor takes offence to officials' refusal to meet him

Taking a strong exception to officials refusing to meet him on the ground that the chief minister Mamata Benerjee is on an administrative tour, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, on Tuesday (October 22), wondered whether some sort of censorship was in place in the state. He also termed the refusal “unconstitutional.”

He had last week expressed his desire to hold meetings with district magistrates, bureaucrats and elected representatives of North and South 24 Parganas districts, a tour of which he has begun from Tuesday.

However, the office of the Governor on Monday evening received letters from the district magistrates of the two districts mentioning that the officials would not be able to attend his meetings as they will be busy with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s ongoing tour of north Bengal, Raj Bhavan sources said.

Also read: Felt insulted at Durga Puja carnival, says West Bengal governor

The officials added that other arrangements for his tour will be made, the sources said.

“I am astonished to receive the letters from the district officials in which they have expressed their inability to attend the meetings, that too four days since my intimation. I do not know whether some sort of censorship is in place in West Bengal,” the Governor told PTI over the phone.

“Despite this, I will continue my tour of the districts,” he added.

Dhankhar has been at the loggerheads with the state government over several issues — ranging from his seating position at the Durga Puja carnival to comments on his security — since he rushed to Jadavpur University on September 19 to “rescue” Union minister Babul Supriyo who had been gheroed by a section of students.

(With inputs from agencies)