Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, in less than 24 hours of a gesture of bonhomie from chief minister Mamata Banerjee after a long spell of friction between the Raj Bhavan and Nabanna, did a Uturn with a public statement reiterating his critical stand against her government on the Bengal Global Business Summit.

Dhankhar’s tweet on Tuesday evening demanded answers from the state government on “critical issues” pertaining to the summit.

“Concerned at lack response @MamataOfficial on critical issues flagged a year ago on 5 editions #BGBS. Ground reality belies ‘resounding success’ syndrome,” he posted.

“Rule of law, respect for human rights & democratic values are imperative for investment. Much needs to be done on these fronts,” he added.

Dhankhar was referring to an August 2020 letter sent to Mamata, demanding clarity on previous five editions of the summit, during which total committed investment was to the tune of Rs 12,32,603 crore and in a February 2019 speech (drafted by the government) read by him in the Assembly, investment proposals of “nearly Rs 10 lakh crore”,“of which more than 50 per cent is under implementation” was mentioned.

“Call upon @MamataOffi¬cial to come out with a WHITE PAPER #BGBS so that information is available in transparent and accountable manner. It is our obligation that we subscribe to sanctity of facts and not dictate actions by mere optics of advertisements and statements,” added Dhankhar on Twitter.

The Dhankhar attack came a day after Bengal chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi announced that the next edition of summit will be held on April 20 and 21 next year, at a festive season get together.

At that gathering, Mamata sought Dhankhar’s support to make the summit a success.

Shortly after his tweet, Mamata mounted a counter offensive during her speech at the inauguration of a Jagaddhatri Puja. “In all my years in parliamentary democracy, in my seven terms as an MP, we believed in and adhered to the culture of mutual respect and propriety... But now, we often see that there are some, occupying constitutional posts… looking, from the moment they wake up in the morning, for ways to needle (the state government),” she said.

Trinamul Congress’s state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said what Dhankhar had said on Monday was, indeed, as the governor of Bengal.

“The tweets today are for saving his job. It is the statement of a dawlo dash (slave to a party),” said Ghosh.