Bengal Governor hits back, tells Trinamool leaders to ‘look at their faces in mirror’

Politics

Bengal Governor hits back, tells Trinamool leaders to ‘look at their faces in mirror’

Reacting strongly to Trinamool Congress dubbing his recent actions as “unconstitutional”, West Bengal Governor Kesari Nath Tripathi has said the party members should “look at their faces in the mirror”.

The fresh slugfest comes after the Governor recently wrote a letter to the Malda divisional commissioner, expressing his desire to hold an administrative meeting to oversee development and the law and order situation. The move did not go down well with the Trinamool Congress, which said not only did the Governor bypass the state government but also flouted the Constitution.

“They should go to the washroom, look at their faces in the mirror and remove the dirt from their faces,” said Tripathi on the sidelines of a university programme in Diamond Harbor, South 24 Parganas, on Thursday.

The Governor, without naming anyone, also said that “they should stop throwing mud on the office of the Governor” as he advised the state government to go for introspection.

On Wednesday, state education minister and secretary of Trinamool Congress, Partha Chatterjee targeted the Governor.
“By sending a letter to Malda district administration through his secretary, the Governor has gone beyond his jurisdiction which is prescribed in the Constitution. He bypassed the chief minister’s office. His act goes against the Constitution and he has flouted it. By crossing his constitutional duty as prescribed in article 153 of Indian Constitution, he has not only acted as the spokesperson of the Central government but also acted as a spokesperson of the ruling party at the Centre,” Chatterjee had told the media.

Earlier, Trinamool Congress MPs, too, criticised the Governor for writing to Malda district officials for a meeting. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’ Brien and Lok Sabha MP Dinesh Trivedi drew the attention of Parliament and are also expected to meet President Ram Nath Kovind over the issue.

“We respect the Constitution, but the Governor cannot be the super chief minister,” Trivedi had remarked on Tuesday.

The recent verbal duel adds a new chapter of Governor-Trinamool Congress faceoff.

In July 2017, after riots had broken out at Basirhat in North 24 Parganas, the chief minister and the Governor were caught in an exchange of words. The Governor had called up the chief minister and asked about the situation in Basirhat.

However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a press conference, alleged that the Governor spoke like a “BJP block president” and “threatened her.” She held a press conference.

A day after the chief minister made her allegations, Tripathi’s office issued a press statement advising the chief minister and her colleagues to work for ensuring a better law and order situation instead of accusing the Governor. In the press statement, it was also said that allegations by the Chief Minister amounted to insulting the office of the Governor.