Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee said on Tuesday that governor C.V. Ananda Bose was discharging his duties in accordance with the Constitution and one ought not to expect anything more of the latter.
Banerjee’s remark is a marked departure from the belligerent tone set by an editorial in the Trinamul Congress mouthpiece on Monday. The Speaker’s remark issued not long before a similarly soft statement from education minister Bratya Basu after a meeting with Bose and vice-chancellors of universities was suggestive of the Mamata Banerjee government’s intent against burning bridges with the current occupant of the Raj Bhavan.
On Monday, Trinamul mouthpiece Jago Bangla had underscored Bose’s past as a “BJP worker” and was critical of his seeking an action-taken report in the wake of the attack on the convoy of junior Union home minister Nisith Pramanik.
On Tuesday, the Speaker said it was natural for a governor to seek such a report from the state’s home department. “The governor can seek a report from the state government’s home department. I have nothing to say (about it) if he has done it within his periphery,” Banerjee told journalists at the Assembly.
“A governor is a person who holds a constitutional post and he will discharge his duties following the Constitution. One cannot expect anything more. He will follow the Constitution, we (the Assembly) will do the same and the state government will do the same,” added Trinamul’s Baruipur West MLA.
“There is no question of any conflict. We run the assembly and communicate with the governor as much as we need. I have not seen any such thing (conflict) so far.” The statement was a clear attempt at de-escalation even as some in Trinamul, such as Kamarhati MLA MadanMitra, kept issuing comments critical of Bose.
“We do not want to alienate him so soon. Politically, his statements need to be criticised. That part is done by leaders like Kunal (Ghosh). Strategically, our ministers and the Speaker will stand beside him,” a senior Trinamul leader said. In the afternoon, minister Basu – after the meeting with Bose and the vice-chancellors– highlighted how amicably a solution was found to the matter of pending appointments.
Bose started his career as the governor in an atmosphere of bonhomie with the state government. His conduct did not sit well with the saffron camp, and multiple leaders, including the leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, criticised him publicly.
“I have said multiple times that when the governor receives a Bill, he has four options. He can either give his assent or send a recommendation if he has any or send it to the President or refuse to give his assent,” Speaker Banerjee, said adding that several bills had been sent to Bose.
Former Bengal governor (now India’s Vice-President) Dhankhar would allegedly sit on bills and keep seeking clarifications, delaying the process of assent. “I think the bills that reach the governor must be timebound. If there is no result (from the Raj Bhavan) on that bill within that stipulated time, the bill must be considered passed,” Banerjee added.
