Siliguri (WB):
Expressing anguish over West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee not informing him on the losses incurred by the state due to cyclone ‘Bulbul’, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said he expects the CM to brief him about it within a few days.
Dhankhar said as per the Constitution, it is the duty of the chief minister to brief the state’s governor on important developments.
“And, ‘Bulbul’ is certainly an important development which calls for the chief minister to keep the governor abreast of developments with regards to it,” he told reporters here.
“I am sure she will brief me within a few days,” the governor said.
In a report to the visiting central team, the West Bengal government on Saturday said the state incurred a loss of Rs 23,811 crore in the devastations caused by ‘Bulbul’ that has affected around 35 lakh people in three districts.
Dhankhar also noted that there have been several important developments in the state in the over 100 days since he took over as governor on July 30, but Banerjee “has not briefed him” on any of these, despite Constitutional obligations.
The governor reiterated his denial of the Trinamool Congress chief’s accusation that he is running a parallel government in the state. “The CM has never written to me that the governor has exceeded his powers”.
The TMC had recently slammed the governor for allegedly exceeding his brief and wondered whether he understood his “constitutional bindings”.
The governor maintained that he is acting as per the Constitution and will continue to do so. “If someone wants me to be a tourist here, I will not be one,” he asserted.
Dhankhar has been locked in a war of words with the state government over a number of issues — ranging from seating at the Durga Puja carnival to his unscheduled visit to Singur.
