The Bengal unit of the BJP has decided to steer clear of the tussle between the Raj Bhavan and the Trinamul Congress because of a realisation that any attempt to back governor Jagdeep Dhankhar may end up endorsing the charge that he is acting like “a BJP party man”.

A source in the state BJP headquarters said no leader would speak on the Dhankhar-Trinamul wrangling.

“Officially, all important state leaders have been asked to maintain silence on anything that has to do with the governor. In case there is any breach, the party would disown such comments,” said a source.

According to him, the trigger behind the decision is the discourse in the state that the governor is exceeding his brief by commenting on almost everything almost everyday.

Since his appointment, Dhankhar has waded into one controversy after another either by crying foul at the state government’s behaviour towards him or by offering critical comments on the administration. As state BJP leaders came forward to back the governor in almost all such cases, Trinamul got ammunition to call him a “BJP party man”.

Asked by the media to respond to a statement made by Dhankhar, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said: “Please don’t ask me the question. I cannot reply to their BJP party man.”

Mamata’s remark was followed up with efforts to make it a political issue in Delhi. On Saturday and Sunday, Trinamul’s delegations met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah and demanded their intervention on Dhankhar, accusing him of exceeding his brief.

After being denied a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, senior Trinamul MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray lambasted — on the floor of the House — the role of Dhankhar, hoping “the rajyapal (governor) would not turn into rajnitipal (custodian of politics)”.

The BJP sources said as the issue had drawn national attention, any visible support to Dhankhar would bolster Trinamul’s allegation. “That’s why it has been decided that we would not talk on this issue,” said a source.

Dhankhar told journalists in Siliguri on Monday that he was acting within the limits set by the Constitution. “Had I been running a parallel government, the chief secretary would have found time to visit me. I have written to the chief minister, but haven’t got replies,” said Dhankhar.