Amid the TMC and BJP indulging in a war of words over West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to not attend a cyclone review meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankar on Tuesday stoked controversy by claiming that the incident indicated that “ego prevailed over public service".
Responding to the governor, the TMC termed his comment as “unfortunate” and asserted that all of Banerjee’s actions are prompted by her concern for the people of the state.
Banerjee and former Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay were scheduled to attend a review meeting with Modi to gauge the impact of cyclone Yaas in Bengal on May 28.
However, Banerjee and Bandyopadhyay did not attend the meeting but entered the room from where Modi was holding the meeting and submitted a report to him on the damages caused by the cyclone in the state, and sought a Rs 20,000 crore package for redevelopment of the worst-hit areas.
Soon after the incident, the Centre issued a notice recalling Bandyopadhyay to Delhi. However, Bandyopadhyay announced his retirement on Monday following which he was appointed as Banerjee’s advisor.
On Tuesday, taking to Twitter, Dhankhar said the chief minister had called him before the meeting at Kalaikunda in Paschim Medinipur district and indicated that she won't attend it if Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari is present in it.
"Constrained by false narrative to put record straight: On May 27 at 2316 hrs CM @MamataOfficial messaged 'may I talk? urgent'," Dhankhar tweeted.
"Thereafter on phone indicated boycott by her & officials of PM Review Meet #CycloneYaas if LOP @SuvenduWB attends it. Ego prevailed over Public service," he added.
Besides Adhikari, Dhankhar and BJP MP Debasree Chaudhuri were present in the meeting with Modi on May 28.
The chief minister said she had skipped the meeting because "a BJP MLA has no locus to be present in a PM-CM meeting". Adhikari defeated Banerjee in Nandigram seat in the recent Assembly elections.
In a letter to the prime minister on Monday, Banerjee had written, "I wanted to have a quiet word with you, a meeting between the PM and the CM as usual. You, however, revised the structure of the meeting to include a local MLA from your party and I am of the view that he had no locus to be present in a PM-CM meeting."
Banerjee had also mentioned in the letter that she had no objection to the presence of the governor and other Union ministers in the meeting.
Reacting to Dhankhar's tweet, senior TMC leader and Lok Sabha MP Saugata Roy said, "The governor has no right to say such things. The CM is working round the clock for the interest of the state. She knows what to do."
Senior TMC leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya had on Monday claimed that the chief minister had to wait for 30 minutes to meet the prime minister on May 28.
"After she met him, Banerjee submitted details about the damages caused by cyclone Yaas and then sought his permission to leave for a pre-scheduled programme in Purba Medinipur district," Bhattacharya had said.
(With PTI inputs)
