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The mutual admiration club between the WB CM and Governor might disband after the latter removes the IAS officer close to Banerjee from Raj Bhavan
Former West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had a specific job: to keep the mercurial state Chief minister Mamata Banerjee in check.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failing to match the firebrand approach of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and her equally mercurial nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, it was Dhankhar who stepped up the ante against West Bengal’s ruling dispensation.
Since his elevation as the Vice President of India, the BJP has missed the authority of Dhankhar. The appointment of former IAS officer CV Ananda Bose did not bear the desired result, at least till now, as he tried to mend the relationship of Raj Bhawan with Nabanna, the state secretariat.
It quickly became a mutual admiration society, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee describing Bose as a “perfect gentleman” with whom the state hoped to resolve outstanding issues.
However, things took a U-turn on February 12 when Governor Bose relieved his principal secretary Nandini Chakravorty of her duties at Raj Bhavan. Interestingly, the 1994-batch IAS officer is considered close to the ruling party in West Bengal.
The move came after BJP state chief Sukanta Majumder met Governor Bose on the morning of February 11. By evening, the Governor’s office issued its first statement since Bose took office on November 23, 2022.
“As far as corruption is concerned, there will be a zero-tolerance policy. Nobody will be allowed to take the law into their own hands,” the statement read.
“Law and order will be scrupulously maintained and at the appropriate time, an effective and proactive intervention will be done. Violence has no place in elections and free and fair polls will be ensured in the upcoming panchayat elections,” it further added.
Amid rising bonhomie between him and TMC, Governor Bose arrived in National Capital late on Sunday night. It set the rumour mills buzzing that the central government is not happy with the Governor’s apparent closeness with the state government.
Governor Bose called on VP Dhankhar in the evening, with the rumour mills suggesting the former was picking up lessons from the erstwhile West Bengal governor.
Sources told The New Indian that Governor Bose will also meet home minister Amit Shah, although there is no official confirmation about the same.
Recently, in his opening speech of the budget session at the State Assembly, Governor Bose spoke about the good law and order situation in the state. The statement brought chaos to the assembly as BJP MLAs staged a walkout.
Earlier on January 26, Governor Bose expressed his wish to formally learn Bengali with the traditional ‘haate khori’, the initiation programme where one writes the first alphabet in Bangla after seeking blessings from the goddess of knowledge, Saraswati.
The state government made grand preparations at Raj Bhavan, with invitations being sent out to dignitaries and politicians. Interestingly, these invites were sent out by the State Secretariat instead of Raj Bhavan, as was prevalent when Dhankhar was in office.
With the state gearing up for Panchayat elections, a Governor close to the ruling party in the state will put a serious question mark on his ability to perform his duty without any discrimination.
Something the BJP cannot afford as it seeks to expand its presence in the state, but is well aware of the consequences of poll-related violence.
While Governor Bose’s visit to New Delhi is looked at as a step towards course correction in a state that remains crucial to the BJP’s electoral plan, it will be interesting to see how the relationship between him and CM Banerjee shape up from here.
