An ugly spat in Bengal

A little self-restraint on both sides could have prevented the escalation of a needless spat between West Bengal's Governor and Chief Minister. Instead of making telephonic inquiries about a subjective as sensitive as Muslim mob attacks on houses and shops of Hindus and accusing the state police of inaction, the Governor should have requested a one-to-one meeting with the Chief Minister over law and order in the state. Constitutionally, nothing prevents a Governor from asking a Chief Minister about certain developments in the state in camera. The Governor could have also asked for a report from the Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary or the DGP. 

Since a Governor has the power to recommend dissolution of an assembly and call for President’s rule in a state, chances are even his innocuous inquiries about law and order could be misconstrued, particularly when made on the telephone. Mamata Banerjee is known for her short temper and emotional outbursts. There was no need for her to go to town with something that transpired between the two constitutional authorities. However, she has not objected to, or challenged, the Governor’s right to inquire about the incidents of vandalism in the state. She has accused Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi of “threatening” her and says she felt so “insulted” that she contemplated resigning. Media reports indicate violence has continued in North 24 Parganas district, where an objectionable Facebook post by a Class 11 Hindu student had triggered communal trouble. 

Politics is also being played by both sides. The Governor, a BJP appointee, reacted after a BJP-RSS delegation apprised him of the volatile situation. He was duty-bound to have heard the government version before calling the police biased. Like any other Governor, Tripathi needs to play a non-partisan role. He is a Governor of the entire state and not of a particular community, nor does he represent a political party. Though the Chief Minister cannot escape responsibility for the police failure to prevent arson or do quick damage control, she has given strict instructions to the police not to spare hooligans regardless of their religion or political affiliation. CM-Governor relations are frayed in some states but such situations can be minimised if the tendency to send political activists to Raj Bhavans is resisted.