Governor is making the same allegations as the BJP: Mamata Banerjee

The relationship between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has been turbulent from the beginning. But presently, all attempts at ensuring a working relationship have been cast aside, with party general secretary and state minister Partha Chatterjee questioning whether the Governor was acting “as per BJP’s wishes”.

The Governor’s letter, according to the state government, was a verbatim rendition of allegations and demands made by a BJP delegation when they met him on Wednesday.

Sources in the Trinamool Congress claimed that when they went to meet the Governor, he pulled up Partha Chatterjee, who had been leading the delegation.

“He wasn’t interested in hearing the TMC’s side of the story. His only concern was what the BJP had briefed him about. He also brought up issues regarding IAS officers and IPS officers — issues on which he and the state government have had conflicts in the past. These weren’t related to the issue at hand,” said a senior cabinet minister.

None of this went down with the Chief Minister, who drafted a reply immediately after receiving the letter from the Governor, said sources.

“In the reply, she simply said, ‘we have received your letter and that this is the same thing the BJP is alleging’. In the most constitutional manner possible, she conveyed to the Governor that he was speaking in the BJP’s voice,” said a source.