KOLKATA: R N Ravi, retired IPS officer, on Thursday took oath as the 22nd Governor of West Bengal at a ceremony in Lok Bhavan in Kolkata.
He was administered the oath by Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, Sujoy Paul, in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Biman Banerjee, Speaker of the state legislative assembly, senior minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and veteran Marxist Left Front chairman Biman Bose.
Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition, in the state assembly and BJP MLA, who was invited at the ceremony was not seen.
Senior BJP leader Anirban Ganguly was present in the programme.
Senior state government officials, including state chief secretary Nandini Chakraborty and others were also present at Lok Bhavan today.
Cutting across political rivalry, ruling Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata was seen requesting Bose, 84 year-old CPI-M leader who was sitting in the third row to come to front row of VIP guests. She also inquired about Bose’s health condition.
R N Ravi entered Lok Bhavan in Kolkata on Wednesday evening hours after the outgoing Governor C V Ananda Bose left Kolkata same day.
Ravi today took oath as new Governor of West Bengal amid controversy in connection with his predecessor Bose’s sudden removal about 20 months before his tenure scheduled to end in 2027.
Ravi, a retired IPS officer of 1976 batch, who served as Governor of Tamil Nadu will take oath at Lok Bhavan, erstwhile Raj Bhavan, at 11 am on Thursday where the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of the Opposition in the state legislative assembly and BJP MLA from Nandigram in East Midnapore district, have been invited to attend the ceremony.
The Centre suddenly moved Bose out of Lok Bhavan last week after three and a half years in office and announced Ravi, a retired IPS officer of 1976 batch, who served as Governor of Tamil Nadu, as the new Governor of Bengal.
Bose’ sudden removal from Lok Bhavan prompted Mamata to make scathing attacks on the Union Home Minister Amit Shah as he had allegedly conspired to force Bose to resign ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in the state.
She also attacked the new Governor branding him as ‘BJP cadre.’
Mamata on Saturday slammed Ravi, terming him a "BJP cadre" and virtually signalling an escalating a face off between the state secretariat Nabanna and Lok Bhavan in the coming days.
She claimed that the sudden resignation of C V Ananda Bose as Governor of West Bengal was the result of pressure allegedly created by the BJP led government at the Centre.
Addressing supporters of her party Trinamool Congress at the dharna site at Esplanade Metro Channel, Mamata accused the Centre of attempting to convert Lok Bhavan into a political outpost in the run up to the Assembly elections scheduled in the state in April.
"Do you know how C V Ananda Bose was removed? I know everything. He was threatened. They want to distribute money from Lok Bhavan. They want Lok Bhavan to be converted into a BJP party office. But everybody may not agree to such whims and fancies of Delhi," she alleged.
She also attacked the incoming Governor and said, “Remember that Bengal is a tough turf.”
Referring to Tamil Nadu, where Ravi is also the existing Governor, Mamata alleged, “He has also disturbed the Chief Minister Stalin there. The newcomer is a BJP cadre who has undergone parades conducted by the party.”
