A day after the Bengal Government put the Kolkata Municipal Corporation under a team of administrators chaired by State Minister and former Mayor Firhad Hakim, State Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar invoked Article 167 of the Constitution asking Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to explain why the decision was not referred to him and why he was kept in the dark.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader and MP Saugato Roy however said that it was not the prerogative of the Governor to raise a question or block the initiative of the State Government.
The Governor who has been involved in a letter war with the Chief Minister on a host of issues including the alleged diluted implementation of lockdown in Bengal has expressed displeasure that he was kept completely in the dark and no information was shared with him regarding the appointment of a new team of administrators for KMC.
The five year term of the elected Kolkata civic body and 93 other municipal boards of the state ended in the first week of May requiring the State Government to appoint administrator in a situation when no election is possible due to corona pandemic situation.
The Governor also wrote a letter to Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha to inform him about the procedures and circumstances that led to the new arrangement.
Replying to the situation Saugato Roy said “under Indian constitution the Government is not bound to take the Governor’s clearance for appointing administrators through administrative orders,” adding an ordinance could not be brought because “we were dealing with a Governor like Jagdeep Dhankhar who is known more for his non-cooperation than anything else.”