West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday hit out at the Trinamool Congress government, saying Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s stand on expanding BSF’s jurisdiction in the state is “potentially dangerous to national security”. To act like a “BJP spokesperson”. In a letter to the chief minister, Dhankhar urged Banerjee to immediately take appropriate steps and revise her stand to address the issue in public and national interest and to create an atmosphere of harmony and cooperation.
The governor’s letter was prompted by the chief minister’s recent direction to the state police not to allow the BSF to enter areas outside its jurisdiction. At an administrative review meeting in North Dinajpur district on December 7, Banerjee had directed the police administration not to allow the BSF to violate the limits of its jurisdiction and get into the law and order situation in the state. He gave a similar order on Thursday in another meeting in Nadia district.
There was no immediate reaction from the state government on the Governor’s letter. During the official administrative meeting at Ganga Rampur on 7th December the state machinery is very concerned with your instructions regarding BSF including ‘BSF has been given permission for 15 km, that too with the permission of State Police’. These are not in harmony with the law. Or the recent Union Home Ministry notification has increased the BSF’s jurisdiction in the state from 15 km to 50 km. Your stance has sent disturbing signals and is potentially dangerous to federal politics and national security.” He said there was a need to generate “conciliation and not confrontation” between central security agencies and state police. “It is imperatively in the public and national interest to revisit your instructions, directions and stand with regard to the functioning of BSF in the State so as to create an atmosphere of goodwill and cooperation,” it said.
“In the state having international borders with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, the BSF and the Central Armed Police Forces play an important role from the point of view of national security and preventing criminal illegal activities,” Dhankhar said in the letter. The Center has recently amended the BSF Act to authorize the force to conduct searches, seizures and arrests in large stretches of 50 km instead of 15 km from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam. Banerjee criticized the decision, alleging that it was an attempt to interfere in the federal structure of the country, claiming that the move was aimed at torturing the people of those areas.
he met the prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in November and demanded withdrawal of the decision. At the administrative meeting held at Krishnanagar in Nadia district on Thursday, Banerjee said, “I ask the ICs (in-charge inspectors) to increase their mobility and speed up the naka checks. Your border with Bangladesh starts from Karimpur. You have to keep an eye on that too.
“You also have to see that BSF does not go to villages without your permission and is not involved in anything. BSF will do its job and you will do yours. Always remember that law and order is your subject.’
Earlier, referring to the killing of 13 civilians by security forces in Nagaland, he had alleged that incidents of BSF infiltration into villages outside its jurisdiction in Murshidabad, Malda, North and South Dinajpur districts of West Bengal. have happened. The West Bengal Assembly had last month passed a resolution against the Centre’s decision to increase the jurisdiction of the BSF.
Echoing Dhankhar, the opposition BJP accused Banerjee of creating a rift between the BSF and the state police despite taking an oath of allegiance to the Constitution. “I wonder, how the Chief Minister of a state, bound by the oath taken by him, has true faith and allegiance to the Constitution India and is believed to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India; Can repeatedly defame @BSF_India who have been assigned to do so,” tweeted BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
He drew the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Governor Dhankhar on the issue and requested the Raj Bhavan to inform Rashtrapati Bhavan about it. “He is a repeat offender, deliberately trying to drive a wedge between @BSF_India and @WBPolice. Kindly request @PMOIndia, @HMOIndia, @DefenceMinIndia to take this into consideration. West Bengal Governor @jdhankhar1 ji, please apprise the honorable @rashtrapatibhvn about this matter,” he said in a series of tweets.
Reacting to the governor’s letter, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said Dhankhar should stop behaving like a “BJP spokesperson”. “The governor should maintain the dignity of his office. He should stop behaving like a BJP spokesperson. He is talking about federal politics. And national security. We are a BJP MLA on the separation of Darjeeling hills from West Bengal. Would like to know his stand on the demand. Why is he silent on it?’ Ghosh said.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader and party’s deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Sukhendu Shekhar Roy said the chief minister has the right to alert the police and flag the issue of BSF atrocities against villagers in several border villages. “Anybody is free to take up the matter with whomever he wants,” he said. Why don’t they (officers) approach the United Nations?
The Banerjee-led TMC government has been at loggerheads with Dhankhar on several issues since he took over as the state’s governor in July 2018.
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