Bengal Governor Asks TMC Ministers to Not React to His Statements and Please Their Boss

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday asked state ministers to concentrate on their departments instead of reacting to his statements to "please their boss".

He said either Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should herself react to his statements or depute a specific minister for the purpose.

Launching a counterattack, the ruling Trinamool Congress said Dhankhar has "crossed all limits" and asked him to stop interfering in matters which are not under his jurisdiction. According to the TMC sources, the party which has already raised the issue of the governor "exceeding his brief and trying to run a parallel administration in the state" in Rajya Sabha, has sought a discussion on the issue in the Parliament.

"All ministers should stop reacting to my statements just to please their boss (Banerjee) and concentrate on their departments.

"I have heard junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya reacting to my comments. I would request her to concentrate on her department as all of us are aware of the real condition of the department," he told reporters.

Reacting to the governor's comment, Bhattacharya said she was not bothered about Dhankhar rating her performance.

"I am not bothered about governor rating my performance. Our Chief Minister can advise us and guide us. We don't need his guidance. He has crossed all limits and should stop interfering in matters which are not under his jurisdiction," she said.

The governor's statement came a day after he was shown black flags allegedly by some Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers on his way to Domkal in Murshidabad district to attend an event on Wednesday.

Dhankhar said he had sought a helicopter from the state government to travel to Murshidabad district but there was no response.

"Actually the state government wants to control my movement. But let me make it very clear that whatever I am doing, it is well within my constitutional limits. Others can't dictate me," Dhankhar had said.

Bhattacharya had reacted sharply to the governor's comment on Wednesday.

"He should ponder over what he has been doing since assuming charge as the governor. What he is doing doesn't behove the post of the governor. The people of the state are angry, so a few may have protested against him," she had said.

The governor and the state government have been locked in a war of words on a number of issues ranging from Dhankhar's seating arrangement at the Durga Puja carnival to comments on his security since he rushed to Jadavpur University to "rescue" Union minister Babul Supriyo, who was heckled and manhandled by some students.

A tussle had also erupted over the state government's refusal to provide a helicopter sought by Dhankhar to travel to Farakka in Murshidabad district and Santiniketan in Birbhum district last week.