Kolkata: West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, on Sunday slammed Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee over the latter’s attack on a section of the judiciary.
On Saturday afternoon, while addressing a rally at the industrial township of Haldia in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, Abhishek Banerjee, launched a scathing attack on a section of the judiciary or the Calcutta High Court orders directing CBI probe on various issues in the state. Describing a section of the judiciary as biased, Abhishek Banerjee said that a couple of judges are acting at the behest of others by directing CBI probe on minor issues.
Speaking to newspersons at Siliguri on Sunday morning, the governor criticized the Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary without naming him. “The manner in which a Lok Sabha member attacked the judiciary on Saturday is simply unthinkable. He has attacked a judge who has ordered a CBI probe as per the provisions of the constitution. And the Lok Sabha member has attacked the judge for that. I will direct the state chief secretary to look into the matter and take necessary action,” the governor said on Monday.
The governor’s comments have attracted criticisms from the Trinamool Congress leadership. “The governor is acting as a representative of the BJP and thus misusing his constitutional chair,” the Trinamool state vice president, Jaiprakash Majumdar said.
On Sunday, the governor also criticized the state government for the latter’s initiative to remove governor from the post of state university chancellor and private university visitor. “This is a ploy to divert attention from the recent scam relating to West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment irregularities, which has ruined the future of the youths. “Let a bill on this come to me on this count and then only I will take a call,” Dhankhar said.
Reacting to that, senior Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member, Saugata Roy, said that the governor is unnecessarily linking the two issues. “The governor has become a hurdle for development of higher education in the state and hence the state government has taken an initiative to replace him,” Roy said.
On the other hand, hitting out at Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee for his comment wherein he attacked the judiciary, the BJP said that ‘judiciary’ is the last resort to ‘save Bengal’.
West Bengal BJP co-incharge Amit Malviya tweeted, “While Mamata Banerjee is weakening India’s federal structure, attempting to curtail Governor’s jurisdiction, her nephew goes a step further, brazenly intimidates the judiciary, accuses them of conniving, handing over cases to the CBI. Judiciary is the last resort to #SaveBengal.”
On Saturday, West Bengal BJP spokesman Shamik Bhattacharya had said that the statements prove the fear and frustration among the Trinamool leaders. “The manner in which Abhishek Banerjee has slammed the judiciary is unthinkable and tantamount to contempt of court,” he had said.