Desh Bachao Gana Mancha, a pro-Trinamul Congress civil society group, formed to raise awareness about various social issues, has sharply criticised Governor C.V. Ananda Bose for using undemocratic methods against an elected government in the state.
The civil society members raised their voices against the governor from a sit-in demonstration at Esplanade on Monday from 12 to 6 pm where TMC MP Dola Sen, former state minister Purnendu Basu, journalist Rantideb Sengupta, social activist Suman Bhattacharya, and others were present.
“The duty of the governor is to consult the government before taking any decision, but here we find that he is taking decisions unilaterally without even consulting the head of the elected government. This is undemocratic and very harmful for the democratic environment of the country,” former state government minister Purnendu Bose said.
Bose was referring to several decisions of the governor of the state, including the recent swearing-in stand-off where Raj Bhavan tried to impose its decision on the state legislative assembly.
Taking a cue from Bose’s speech, veteran politician Samir Putatunda said: “The governor delegated his power to the deputy speaker when the Speaker is present in the assembly. It is, in a way, demeaning the position of the Speaker.”
“This is, however, not a new trait, but this has been continuing since 1967 when the central government tried to control the activities of the state through the governor. This has reached an extreme point during the BJP regime. The curtailment of the powers of the state is an ominous sign for the democratic environment of the country.”
Apart from this, the civil society members took to the streets on several issues, including the privatisation of railways and eviction of railway hawkers, the recently introduced criminal code ‘Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita,’ and corruption in various union government exams, including NEET, and question paper leaks.
Sengupta said for the past twenty years, the Centre had been curtailing the powers of the state.
