West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee declined to go for the all-party meeting convened by the WB Governor, claiming that law and order was a state subject and “not the governor’s”. Calling the Governor BJP’ mouthpiece, TMC supremo claimed that KN Tripathi had called for the meeting at the behest of the BJP.
“They (the governor) are the mouthpiece of the BJP. The BJP has asked him to hold an all-party meeting and that is why it has been called,” Banerjee told reporters.
“He (Tripathi) had called me also. But I said I cannot go because you are the governor and I am the elected government. Above all, law and order is a state subject. It is not your subject,” she said.
In the backdrop of the surging incidents of post-poll violence in the state, the West Bengal Governor, Keshari Nath Tripathi has called an all-party meeting on June 13, Thursday at 4 pm at Governor’s house. Tripathi has sent a letter to all prominent political parties in Bengal including ruling party TMC, BJP, Congress and Left, urging them to attend the meet.
On Sunday, clashes had erupted between TMC and BJP workers in Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas, killing several BJP workers.
Welcoming the Governor’s initiative, West Bengal BJP unit president Dilip Ghosh said the state government should have taken the initiative.
While West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, Congress and CPI(M) state heads Somen Mitra and Surya Kanta Mishra are scheduled to participate in the meeting at the Raj Bhavan, Mamata showing complete disregard for the constitution head said, the governor could call people for a cup of tea or a peace meeting, adding, “So I am sending a party representative there. He will go there, have a cup of tea and come back.”
TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee is supposed to represent the All India Trinamool Congress in the all-party meeting today.
Earlier, disregarding the Governor’s standing, Mamata Banerjee had reacted to KN Tripathi’s suggestion, that, President’s rule be imposed in the state saying that a plan is being hatched to turn Bengal into Gujarat.
The poll violence in Bengal has aggravated after BJP made successful inroads by bagging 18 seats in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. Several reports of BJP workers and supporters attacked in Bengal have emerged as a result of the political slugfest.
