Governor Alleges Human Rights Violations in Bengal, TMC Says He Is Following 'High Command from Delhi'

West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar lashed out at the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Friday, alleging that “there is only rule of ruler and not of law” in the state. Taking to Twitter on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, Dhankhar, who has been in a perpetual tussle with the ruling Trinamool Congress, also claimed that the administration and officials in the state are behaving like political workers.

Responding to his statement, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told CNN-News18 that the governor is acting upon the directions given by his “high command from New Delhi”.

“Even during the assembly elections, we have seen how the governor, as well as the BJP leaders, issued similar statements. And eventually, the people of Bengal also responded to that via their votes and made Trinamool Congress the winner. Despite that, the BJP refuses to accept the truth and the reality,” he said. “They are suffering from major frustration as the BJP is not being able to find candidates for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, not being able to find workers too. On the other hand, the governor is also getting calls from his high command from Delhi, to provide oxygen to the Bengal BJP. Hence, he’s trying hard to malign TMC’s image and doing his duties of the position of BJP working president. The governor’s tweets have nothing to do with West Bengal and its people.”

BJP state vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar though told CNN-News18 that “TMC refuting the governor’s statement will not change the truth”.

Referring to the observations made by the Calcutta High Court during the hearing on violence following the April-May assembly elections in West Bengal, he said, “Even the Calcutta High Court, as well as the National Human Rights Commission, agreed that ‘there is rule of ruler and not of law’ in West Bengal and the governor too has mentioned the same thing. Trinamool Congress refuting our statement will not change the truth. Even yesterday, Mamata Banerjee had an administrative review meeting in Krishnanagar and, during a meeting that was being held with the government money, the chief minister was discussing internal party problems and guiding Mahua Moitra on how to run the team. Is this part of an administrative problem? If she wants to discuss such issues, she should use TMC’s money.”

Mamata Banerjee had pulled up Krishnanagar MP Moitra during the Nadia administrative review meeting and expressed her displeasure over infighting within the party in the district.

TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, meanwhile, has written a letter to the governor over his statement on the Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). He mentioned in his letter that the “international border does not penetrate 50 km into India and it does not behove the occupant of the office of governor to make such statements”.

The letter is in reference to a newspaper article, in which a statement of the governor read: “In the state, having an international border with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan – the BSF and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) play a significant, well-defined, crucial role from the perspective of national security.”

The union home ministry had issued a notification extending the BSF’s jurisdiction on October 11, amending a July 2014 enabling provision for the force’s personnel and officers while they operate in border areas. In Punjab, West Bengal and Assam, the BSF can now operate within a larger 50-km stretch as opposed to 15 km earlier. West Bengal and Punjab, ruled by BJP rivals TMC and Congress respectively, have opposed the step, terming it an infringement of federal rights of the states. The Centre, however, has cited cattle smuggling and the use of technology by enemies among major reasons that prompted the expansion of the Border Security Force’s jurisdiction in some states.

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