New Delhi: August 16, 2020 . In a fresh dig at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday alleged that Raj Bhavan was placed under surveillance, and the action “undermines the sanctity of the institution”.
On Saturday, Dhankhar took offence after Banerjee skipped the traditional tea party at the Governor’s house on the occasion of Independence Day
“I would like to tell you all that the Raj Bhavan is under surveillance. It undermines the sanctity of the Raj Bhavan. I will do everything to protect its sanctity,” Dhankhar, who has often crossed swords with the TMC government over a host of issues in the past one year, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
He also said that lawlessness continues to persist in the state.
On Saturday, the Governor said that Banerjee’s decision to skip the Independence Day event had left him “startled and stunned”.
Absence of CM and officials @MamataOfficial on occasion of Independence Day celebration at Raj Bhawan has like many startled and stunned me. We need to rise to occasion as respect to freedom fighters who gave their all to secure for us freedom and democracy. Iam at loss of words. pic.twitter.com/fAUByqxTp7
— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) August 15, 2020
“The vacant seat meant for CM @MamataOfficial at celebration of Independence Day at Raj Bhawan speaks volumes -has created unwholesome situation that is not in sync with rich culture and ethos of WB. There is just no rationale for this unbecoming stance,” he posted on the micro-blogging site.
“Absence of CM and officials @MamataOfficial on occasion of Independence Day celebration at Raj Bhawan has like many startled and stunned me. We need to rise to occasion as respect to freedom fighters who gave their all to secure for us freedom and democracy. Iam at loss of words,” he added.
The Chief Minister, however, had paid a “courtesy visit” to the Governor after attending the Independence Day event at the Red Road earlier in the day.
“As we will not be able to attend the programme scheduled (at Raj Bhawan in the evening, we came here after the Red Road event even though we had no appointment. We had ‘adda’ (Bengali word for chat or conversation) with the Governor and greeted him on the occasion of Independence Day,” she was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
