West Bengal Governor Ananda Bose on Sunday said he respects Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally and has a professional relationship with her, but “Mamata Banerjee, a politician” is “not my cup of tea.” ”.
In an interview with Press Trust of India (PTI), the West Bengal governor, who has often been at loggerheads with Banerjee's Trinamool Congress government, spoke candidly about their differences.
When asked about his relationship with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bose said: “Which Mamata Banerjee? There are three Mamata Banerjees in front of me. “One is Mama Ta Banerjee personally. The second one is Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The third one is Mamata Banerjee, a politician. That's not my cup of tea,” he said.
“During the election, she confused the issues. The chief minister merged with the politician and made certain statements. I also became an individual, not the governor. I sued her for damages, defamation. That's what this relationship is about Complexity,” he said.
“Otherwise, Mamata Banerjee is my friend. The chief minister is my colleague and I am not a politician.
“Politicians play certain roles in their own way. I'm not going to let this affect my self-esteem. That's the relationship,” he said.
A contract employee of Raj Bhavan has leveled sexual harassment allegations against the governor. The Raj Bhavan panel's internal preliminary investigation report dismissed the allegations.
Amid attacks on Banerjee and TMC leaders over the allegations, Bose filed a defamation suit against Banerjee and some other TMC leaders, following which the Calcutta High Court restrained them in an interim order from publishing any defamation against the Governor till August 14 or incorrect statement.
As the West Bengal government moves the Supreme Court accusing the Governor of refusing to give permission to eight bills, he said there are no bills pending in his office.
“If I put it more lightly, the only bill pending in the federal assembly of Bangladesh is the fuel bill. There is no pending government bill before the assembly,” he claimed.
“Eight bills are pending with the governor. Six bills have been reserved to the president. One of the bills has been reserved for discussion with government offices on certain clarification issues,” he said.
“Once they come and clarify, the bills will be cleared or action will be taken one way or another. One of the bills is pending.
“Otherwise, out of the eight bills they introduced to the Governor, not one of them was passed by Parliament,” he said.
The governor has asked the state government to produce a white paper on the state's finances, claiming the state's financial management has been “sluggish”, adding that he will decide whether to take “action” based on the white paper.
“In many ways, Bangladesh's financial management is very slow, very poor and unbalanced. I can also conclude that in many ways, the budget or finances are collapsing,” he said.
“On the contrary, Bangladesh is collapsing, if I may say so.
“But rather than imposing my views on the government, I am asking them to provide a white paper, their own assessment of what is actually happening in the field. The white paper will allow them to do a reality check,” he said.
He said it was his constitutional duty to uphold the Constitution and ensure the welfare of the people of West Bengal.
“If it doesn't exist, action must be taken. What action can be taken? It's very clear in the constitution. I haven't made up my mind yet,” he said.
“I will make a decision based on the white paper. Whenever it comes, I am willing to wait. Because my intention is to correct, not to accuse anyone,” he said.
Asked what action could be taken, he said: “The constitution clearly provides for it. If there is a breakdown or aberration in the financial management of a country, certain constitutional provisions are very obvious. “As governor, I will not go into detail. That, because I haven't decided whether I should move in those directions,” he added.
(This article has not been edited by News18 staff and is published by PTI)
