Kolkata: About a week after five Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs submitted a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking the removal of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar, chief minister Mamata Banerjee met him at Raj Bhawan on Wednesday evening.
It fuelled speculation as Dhankar and TMC leaders, including Mamata, have been at loggerheads for several months.
Sources in West Bengal secretariat said it was just a courtesy visit. “There is nothing official about the visit. The CM wanted to exchange New Year greetings with the Governor,” said the sources.
The TMC supremo refused to comment on her meeting with Dhankar.
The governor took to Twitter to share pictures of flowers that Mamata had presented him.
“Myself and Mrs Sudesh Dhankhar greeted Hon’ble Chief Minister @MamataOfficial when she visited Raj Bhawan today,” the governor tweeted.
However, political analysts are of the opinion that the chief minister’s visit to Raj Bhawan is significant, coming as it does ahead of the assembly polls.
“Two cabinet ministers of West Bengal have resigned, leaving the posts empty. The CM might fill those vacancies in the ministry for which presence of the governor is important during the swearing-in ceremony. Maybe the CM went to seek time from him,” observers remarked.
Ironically, Dhankar launched another attack on the chief minister earlier in the day, saying that Mamata Banerjee is not abiding by the Constitution.
“The chief minister is not following the constitution. No citizen of this country can be branded as an outsider in any part of India. It is unfortunate that some people in West Bengal are describing those coming from other states as outsiders. This goes against the idea of the Constitution,” said Dhankar.
Mamata and other TMC leaders have time and again said that the BJP is bringing ‘outsiders’ to the state to win the assembly elections, which are due in April-May.
The governor urged public servants to maintain political neutrality to ensure a violence-free and fair election.
Hitting back at the governor, TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said that he is behaving like the mouthpiece of BJP. She also alleged that the governor had converted the Raj Bhawan into a party office of the saffron camp.
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