Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury downplays meeting Governor;wonders why TMC not approaching Pres for Dhankar’s removal

@the_news_21

Congress West Bengal president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Saturday said not much should be read into his meeting Governor Jagdeep Dhankar recently and wondered why the TMC was not approaching President of India for Dhankar’s removal instead of only issuing press statements against him.

He said this when asked to comment on the Governor meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, NHRC chief and Union Coal minister during his Delhi visit and the Trinamool Congress attacking him over his trip to the national capital to flag the issue of post-poll violence in Bengal.

“I wonder why this TMC-run government is not taking up the issue of his removal with the President of India who appoints the governor. It is pleasure of the President to appoint a governor.

“Why the TMC is merely issuing statements for the governor’s removal?” he told reporters here.

Chowdhury, who is also Congress leader in Lok Sabha, added the state government should ensure there is no violence after the state polls are over and none should be attacked in vengence.

Congress has been critical of the TMC leaders use of harsh words against the governor and at the same time have also criticised Dhankar’s “partisan” approach on many occasions.

Making light of the much-publicised news of Dhankhar’s visit to his official residence in Delhi, the Baharampur MP said “he called me up and said he wished to visit me and have a cup of coffee.”

The Bengal governor had met Chowdhruy at his residence in Delhi two days back.

“Shouldn’t I do this? I think it is part of Bengal’s tradition of hospitality to welcome the guest. If the governor visits my residence in future I will do the same,” he said.

Chowdhury said one of the reasons behind TMC getting so many votes in the just-concluded assembly polls is that members of Muslim community voted en masse for the Mamata Banerjee led dispensation.

Their action was prompted by the “threats” of CAA and out of desperation to stop the BJP as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah kept visiting Bengal repeatedly during elections.

“As Modi and Shah went on coming to Bengal repeatedly and harped on CAA, the Muslims as a group voted for Trinamool thinking only Mamata Banerjee is capable of resisting the BJP.

“Mamata won’t have got so many votes otherwise. In fact Congress as a secular force has its share of Muslim votes but the equations changed this time”, Chowdhury, whose native Murshidabad district has a sizeable section of Muslim population, said.

Making clear his reservations about the Samyukta Morcha of left and Congress having electoral alliances with Indian Secular Front of Abbas Siddiqui, he said “Congress did not enter into any poll understanding with ISF. It was left who did that.”

He said the front’s electoral alliance with ISF did not accrue any benefit to the constituents.

While the Congress and the CPI(M)-led left parties drew blank in the elections to 294-member Bengal assembly, the ISF managed one seat.