KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress on Sunday alleged that six officers-on-special duty (OSD) appointed by Raj Bhawan were either close relatives of governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, or of his present and former aides-de-camp (ADCs), dubbing it as his “extended family in Raj Bhavan” at “taxpayers’ expense”.
This came after the governor, earlier in the day, termed Bengal’s law and order “extremely alarming” and asked state chief secretary H K Dwivedi to brief him on Monday and “indicate all steps taken to contain post poll violence.” Trinamool’s Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra, responding to the governor’s Twitter posts on law and order, wrote back on Twitter: “Uncleji only way WB’s ‘grim situation’ will improve is if you move your sorry self back to Delhi & find another job”.
She followed it up with another Twitter post, in which she named six OSDs, mentioning their current designation and relation with the governor, adding, “And Uncleji — while you’re at it — take the extended family you’ve settled in at WB Raj Bhavan with you.” Raj Bhavan has not responded to TMC’s nepotism barbs.
“These are baseless allegations and lies,” said BJP Bengal general secretary Sayantan Basu.
“ADCs are state appointees.
This is a weak attempt to deflect the discourse from the issue of deteriorating law and order in Bengal,” he added.
“This governor had been sent here with a political mandate.
Now that BJP lost miserably in Bengal, he couldn’t deliver his promise.
Now he is trying another game,” Moitra, speaking to TOI later, said, adding, “We didn’t want to play these petty personal games.
But people should know the truth now.
We also have a right to question.
Who pays for Raj Bhavan? Isn’t it the public exchequer? Why has he put his relatives, and those of his aides, there? Let him come out and say that this is untrue.
Let him file a defamation and police case against me.” In response to the governor’s two-page note on Bengal’s law and order, Moitra also put out a one-pager on all the six names, along with the details.
Dhankhar, on Twitter, claimed lakhs of people were being displaced and property worth hundreds of crores vandalised in Bengal.
“Extremely alarming law & order scenario.
Security environment is seriously compromised.
In such a grim situation called upon (the) Chief Secretary to brief me on the law and order situation on Monday 7th June and indicate all steps taken to contain post poll violence,” he posted on Sunday.
“Democratic values are openly shredded and trampled by ruling party harmads.
People are in mortal fear of police and that in turn is at the feet of ruling party rogue elements,” he had tweeted.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier questioned Raj Bhavan’s bypassing the CM — or the council of ministers — to directly summon state officials.
Banerjee had also indicated that she may have to step in to ask state officers not to attend such meetings.
Trinamool Congress secretary-general Partha Chatterjee criticised the governor for speaking too much.
“He should ideally remain silent, but he is unable to do it and has been making comments just to keep afloat,” Chatterjee claimed.