Dhankhar sticks to script in House
KOLKATA: West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has been at loggerheads with the state administration, on Friday stuck to the text of the speech handed to him by the Mamata Banerjee government for the governor’s address to the state assembly’s first session of the year.
Dhankhar had earlier suggested some changes to the speech, but didn’t press the point after the state government declined to accept them. Dhankhar did, however, make the point on Thursday that he was well within his right to suggest changes. When these were turned down by the state government, he stuck to the script given to him.
“I delivered the address in the high traditions of constitution. I do hope all will pay due obeisance to the constitution... I urge those in authority to desist from methodology not sanctified by constitution,” Dhankhar later wrote on Twitter.
There had been some concern that the Bengal governor may, like his Kerala counterpart Arif Mohammad Khan, spring a surprise and preface portions of the text that he did not approve of with a disclaimer. Khan had, before reading out the Pinarayi Vijayan government’s views against the amended citizenship law, made it clear that he disapproved of this portion of the address. According to the norms, the governor reads out the speech prepared by the state government.
“At present our country is at a critical juncture. The basic values and principles of our Constitution are under challenge... spreading misinformation is the order of the day and rejection of all forms of dissent is the new fashion in the name of patriotism,” Dhankhar said while reading out from the written text. He also condoled the “tragic loss of innocent lives” in the country in protests over the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens. The governor also said that there was a general air of “intolerance, bigotry and hatred” that is straining the thread of unity tying together all the linguistic, religious and ethnic diversities in the country.
“Before adopting any drastic measures, all sections of people must be taken into confidence. The state government is strongly against division of people in the name of steps like National Population Register (NPR), NRC or CAA,” he said. CAA is short for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The Left and the Congress criticised the governor’s speech for failing to criticize the Central government enough. “Is it a secret tie-up between the Centre and the state? ,” said Congress leader Abdul Mannan.
Sujan Chakraborty, the Left leader in the Assembly, said, “It’s nothing more than drama. A barking dog seldom bites.”
In the evening, Dhankhar approved the annual financial statements and supplementary grants after an hour-long meeting with the state’s chief secretary Rajiva Sinha at Raj Bhavan, in which Sinha produced documents sought by the governor.