The ruling Trinamool Congress has taken strong exception to outgoing Bengal Governor KN Tripathi’s parting advisories to the Mamata Banerjee Government cautioning her against her appeasement policies and deteriorating law and situation.
Reacting to Tripathi’s statement, senior Trinamool leader and State Minister Partho Chatterjee said “Now his term has ended and he will go back in a few days time. But earlier also, we had often said considering his stance on various issues that the “Raj Bhawan has become the BJP party office. We were crticised by the BJP then.
But now it seems that we were not wrong in making such statements. He is making these statements to make the BJP happy. But the question is what he will get by doing so because his tenure cannot be extended.”
Chatterjee said referring to the earlier interactions between the State Government and the Governor’s office that “if he had felt any such thing why did he not mention it then. I have met him several times. But he never spoke of any such things like deterioration of law and order or appeasement then. Now when he is going out he is making such statements.”
Tripathi’s successor Jagdeep Dhankar will be sworn-in as the new Bengal governor on July 30.
Earlier the Governor had in an interview said that the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had visions but she should refrain from pursuing appeasement policy.
She “has got vision, she has power to implement her decisions but she should be restrained also. She becomes sentimental on occasions, so she has to keep a control on it,” Mr Tripathi had told news agencies in an interview adding “her policy of appeasement has the effect of adversely affecting societal harmony ... I think she should look at every citizen equally. I believe that every citizen of West Bengal should be dealt with equally without discrimination.” Her discriminatory policies were apparent in her statements, he had said triggering an outburst in the TMC ranks.
The outgoing governor however later said he had been misinterpreted by some people. “I was misinterpreted,” he said adding how people ignored his praise for the Chief Minister. “I also praised her saying she has vision and that has been ignored,” he said.
Questioning the timings of his statements the CPI(M) and Congress said what Tripathi had said was not only ill-timed but also partially true.