Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee On Thursday, his party directed MPs to demand the removal of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and the Centre’s proposed amendment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre rules in the upcoming budget session of Parliament.
Addressing a virtual meeting with Trinamool MPs, Chief Minister Banerjee further said that she has decided to take full control over her party’s organizational matters as well as administrative matters. The remark assumes significance at a time when a section of party leaders are pointing fingers at each other.
The TMC chief, who was expected to take up the ‘Diamond Harbor’ model of Covid management of his nephew Abhishek Banerjee, which criticized party MP Kalyan Banerjee, did not utter a word on it. However, he advised MP Aparupa Poddar to exercise more restraint while talking to media persons. Poddar had recently called for Banerjee to be removed from the post of Chief Whip of the Trinamool Parliamentary Party after she openly criticized Abhishek’s ‘Diamond Harbor Model’.
A senior Trinamool leader who was present at the meeting said, “Our leader asked Aparupa not to make such remarks.”
He also directed the MPs to raise the demand for the removal of the Governor as he is speaking BJP‘s voice. He openly criticized the Chief Minister and his government in the assembly premises with a clear political motive. This is not expected from the governor,” he said.
There has been a difference of opinion between the Chief Minister and the Governor from the time they resided in the Raj Bhavan. The war of words has escalated in recent weeks, with Dhankhar targeting the government over several state projects.
The Trinamool hit back, claiming that the governor was sitting on several bills that were sent to him for his assent, delaying the proposed changes in several state legislations.
The governor also refused to sign the Howrah Municipality Bifurcation Bill, resulting in a delay in the elections to the Howrah and Bali municipalities.
Speaker Biman Banerjee also “to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against the Governor’sexcessive interference” in parliamentary affairs and the working of the Assembly.
The Trinamool had also accused Dhankhar of indulging in nepotism by appointing several people close to him as Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) and claiming their alleged links to the hawala scam.
In response to the Centre’s proposal to amend the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954, Banerjee wrote to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 13 January, claiming that the proposed change was ‘draconian’ and ‘against the foundation of federal politics’.
He further said that if the amendment is implemented, it will hang like a ‘damocles’ sword on the heads of IAS officers and create a ‘fear psychosis’ which will affect the performance, effectiveness and accountability of the officers to the state government.
Talking to reporters after attending the meeting chaired by the party supremo, Trinamool’s Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said, “The central government is putting obstacles in front of the federal structure of the country. We have always opposed this tendency of the Centre. Now, he has proposed amendments to the IAS cadre rules that will give the Center full power to unilaterally transfer IAS officers without the consent of the state governments. We will oppose this move. We will discuss with other political parties that are against any amendment in the IAS cadre rules before opposing it on the floor (of both the houses of Parliament).
On Banerjee’s instructions to MPs to raise the demand for the governor’s removal, BJP leader Shamik Bhattacharya said, “Trinamool may move a resolution in Parliament to remove the governor. The central government and the President will have to do the necessary work. They are under the impression that West Bengal is not a part of India.”
CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty said, ‘We are morally against the post of Governor. However, TMC wants the governor to say whatever it wants to say to them. They are annoyed at refusing to do so. Though we do not agree with everything the governor says, but he is not completely wrong either.