Kolkata: Governor C.V. Ananda Bose declared on Thursday night that he will henceforth socially boycott Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, marking a significant move connected with an ongoing "rift" between the West Bengal government and the Raj Bhavan.
Additionally, Governor Bose explained that by "social boycott" he is referring to his decision to stop sharing a public platform with Chief Minister Banerjee going forward.
“I will socially boycott the Chief minister. Socially means I will never share any stage with the Chief Minister. I will not attend any meeting where the Chief Minister is present,” the Governor said in a video message released by his office.
In the message, Governor Bose also expressed anguish over the state government ignoring his advice to take action against Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal for the lapses in handling the probe into the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital before it was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following directions from the Calcutta High Court.
According to the Governor, the way Commissioner Goyal approached the case was highly suspicious and can be described as a sort of “criminal activity" for which he should be dealt with as per the legal provisions.
The Governor also launched a scathing attack against the Chief Minister over the law and order situation in West Bengal and even went to the extent of describing Banerjee as “Lady Macbeth”, claiming that there is violence everywhere in the state.
Stating that as the Governor he cannot remain silent in such a situation, he said, “The state Secretariat will not be able to suppress the distrust (of the people) for long. The truth will surface. 'You can fool some people for some time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time'," the Governor said, quoting 16th US President Abraham Lincoln.
With inputs from IANS