KOLKATA: Another round of face-off between governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and the state government broke out on Sunday after the constitutional head of the state alleged that all government officials in north Bengal are acting at the behest of a political party.
Dhankhar, who is on his month-long visit to Darjeeling, said in Siliguri that the district magistrate and superintendent of police of Darjeeling district are playing with fire. He also accused the state government of depriving the poor by not allowing the Centre’s schemes in the state.
"The law and order situation is deteriorating in the state day by day and bureaucrats and other government officials are working at the behest of a political party. The DM and SP are young officers and I would like to request them not to play with fire and go by the constitution only, instead of following the instruction of a particular political party,’’ he said.
Several rounds of war of words between Dhankhar and the ruling Trinamool Congress and chief minister Mamata Banerjee broke out since the governor assumed office last year. When Dhankhar alleged misrule by the TMC-led state government, the ruling party and the chief minister herself accused him of crossing his constitutional limits.
On Thursday, Dhankhar met Union Home minister Amit Shah and said in a news conference that he was worried about free, fair, and fearless elections in the state that are due in about six months from now. He also alleged that the chief minister was running a police state, sections of the bureaucracy were acting as political workers and foot soldiers and political violence was a daily affair.
Hitting out at Mamata Banerjee’s government, Dhankhar said, "The state government has barred the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. As a result, the poor people in the state are being deprived of the benefit of the scheme.’’
The TMC accused the governor of crossing his limits. "He (Dhankhar) has no authority to talk about an IAS and IPS officer’s style of functioning. Nor the state’s officials, the governor is acting at the behest of a political party and has become their mouthpiece,’’ said TMC MP and party spokesperson Saugata Roy.
Dhankhar will be staying at Raj Bhavan in Darjeeling and he will continue his work from there. The governor said he would meet tea garden workers and discuss their issues.