Fresh Verbal Duel Between Mamata & Bengal Guv over Citizenship Stir

Kolkata, Dec 16 (PTI) A fresh war of words ensued between Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday as she expressed shock over his regular diatribes at the West Bengal government and urged him to cooperate in maintaining peace instead of "aggravating" the situation.

The governor responded with a sharp riposte by saying he was deeply pained by the "unwarranted tangential approach" adopted by Banerjee and urged her to work in tandem and togetherness in public interest and engage in "soul searching".

In the wake of ongoing protests across the state against the contentious Citizenship Act, Dhankhar had summoned the director general of police and chief secretary to brief him on the situation.

After the two failed to turn, the governor asked Banerjee on Monday to personally update him on the situation.

Reacting to it, Banerjee wrote to Dhankhar in the evening and expressed her shock over a person holding a gubernatorial post criticising the state government on a regular basis..

"I am really sorry to see your frequent tweets and press briefings criticising the state government and also involving the senior officers of the state," Banerjee wrote to Dhankhar.

"You would no doubt appreciate that the prime focus of the state administration at present is to maintain peaceful situation as against what is going throughout the country," she said.

"The constitutional obligation in my view is to support the state government machinery to maintain peace and harmony rather than aggravating the situation by provoking elements who may attempt to disturb the order and tranquillity," Banerjee said. "Please cooperate to maintain peace."

Dhankhar wrote back and said he was surprised at the "unwarranted tangential" approach that Banerjee have adopted therein.

"Your reflections are far from fact situations and would urge you to engage in soul searching," Dhankar said.

"I seek to remind you that I have all throughout taken steps in consonance with the Constitution and with respect to the present unfortunate crisis in which the State has landed.

"I have numerously appealed to the people and the Government to do their utmost to maintain peace, avoid violence and adhere to the Rule of Law," the governor said.

Reminding Banerjee of the kind of "indignities" that was heaped at him by the TMC ministers, Dhankhar wrote his constitutional position was repeatedly "compromised".

"Even on the current critical situation in the State, I have not been briefed by the State Government at any stage and at any level whatsoever," he said.

Indicating that he was not willing to let the past bitterness come in the way of dialogue, the governor said he would like to work in togetherness and in tandem in larger public interest so that people of the get respite from violence and peace was restored.

Earlier in the day, Dhankhar, who has been at loggerheads with the state government on number of issues since assuming charge in July, has criticised Banerjee for conducting a rally against the amended citizenship law and asked her to desist from "unconstitutional and inflammatory" actions.

Daring the Centre to dismiss her government, Banerjee hit the streets and vowed to not implement the amended Citizenship Act and the proposed NRC, which she said could only be enforced in the state over her "dead body".

Dhankhar had said on Sunday that the advertisement, in which Banerjee states that NRC and citizenship law would not be implemented, was "unconstitutional" and a head of government cannot use public money for such campaigns.

His comments drew sharp reactions from the TMC leadership.

"He should stop lecturing others on what Mamata Banerjee has to do or not. He should not cross his constitutional brief," party secretary general Partha Chatterjee said. "Mamata Banerjee has every right to conduct a rally as she is not only a chief minister but also supremo of Trinamool Congress."

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)