The Raj Bhavans in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are embroiled in a battle with the elected governments. The open fracas between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has got murkier. After a Cabinet meeting on Monday last, Didi blocked Dhankar on the social media platforms, saying: “I am sorry to say I was forced to do this. Every day, he (Governor) abuses me and our officers using unethical and unconstitutional words. He hands out instructions as if we are his servants or bonded labourers. The elected Government is bonded labour, but he, someone who is only nominated, is a super guard. Every day after seeing his tweet, I become irritated.”

Besides, she accused him of “spying on everybody from Raj Bhavan… Pegasus is going on in Raj Bhavan!” Dhankar hit back with the tweet: “WB Guv: Under Article 167 it is Constitution ‘duty’ of the Chief Minister to furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the State and proposals for legislation as the Governor may call for. Why ‘block’ information to Guv now for two years?”

The war between the two which has been hitting headlines is said to have reached Parliament’s doorstep. TMC’s Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said he has told President Kovind ‘to remove him from the post for the sake of Parliamentary democracy.’ Further, the party plans to move a substantial motion in the Rajya Sabha against him, if it manages to get support from non-BJP parties. It’s anybody’s guess what the climax will be in this high-pitched drama.   

Likewise, Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan is embroiled in a row.  This after Governor Ravi returned to the Stalin government an Assembly bill that seeks exemption to the State from NEET. The justification being given is that it goes against the ‘interests of rural and economically poor students.’

A livid DMK government is to plan the future course of action with other political parties, following a Raj Bhavan release which said: “The Governor has returned the bill, adopted by the state Assembly in September 2021 and the report of a high level committee constituted by the Tamil Nadu government in this connection to the Assembly Speaker M. Appavu,” A determined government, which has been opposed to NEET, has “assured all steps for adopting the bill again in the Assembly”, and the Governor’s opinions will be studied and “the truth about NEET explained.” Plus, DMK and Congress members staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha demanding the recall of Ravi. How far this battle will go needs to be watched.

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