Mamata blocks Guv Jagdeep Dhankhar's Twitter account

Kolkata, Jan 31 (IANS) A day when Trinamool Congress leader in the Parliament formally told President Ram Nath Kovind to remove West Bengal Governor, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told in a press conference that she has blocked Dhankhar's twitter account making is clear that the ruling party will not leave any stones unturned in their battle against the Governor.

"I apologise for it in advance. He (Jagdeep Dhankhar) tweets something every day abusing me or my officers. Unconstitutional, unethical things, he says. He instructs and advises. Elected government has become bonded labour. That's why I have blocked him from my Twitter account. I was getting irritated every day," Mamata Banerjee said at a press conference on Monday.

Alleging that the governor has been sitting on files and continuously threatening his officers, the Chief Minister said, "I have written several letters to the PM about him. That he [Governor] is not listening and he is threatening everyone. I have even been to him and spoke with him. We have been patiently suffering for the past years. He has not cleared several files. He is keeping every file pending. How can he speak about policy decisions"?

Accusing the governor of tapping phones, the Chief Minister said, "Why has the PM not removed him [Governor]? Pegasus is running from Governor house. He is tapping phones," she added.

Minutes after the Chief Minister announced to block the Governor's Twitter account, Dhankhar from his Twitter handle wrote: "Mandated under Article 159 of the Constitution to ensure none in the state 'blocks' Constitutional Norms and Rules of Law and those in authority bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India."

The decision to block Dhankhar's Twitter account comes just a day after the governor appealed to the Chief Minister to forget her ego and come for discussion. "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should work according to the constitution. I shall request the Chief Minister to take out her time and sit for discussion. There is no place for conflict in democracy. In democracy people who are sitting on the top should work in tandem so that it can help the people in general. There is no place for arrogance in democracy. The way the Chief Minister makes comments on the governor is not correct. We should sit for discussion and find a solution to it," Dhnakhar had said.

The governor also said that the chief minister is "constitutionally ordained to discharge duty under Article 167 of the constitution to impart information on Pandemic Purchase Scam and other issues".

"It is obligatory for the [West Bengal] Government to impart full details of 'Maa' scheme that came to be launched mid Feb 2021 though it could be operationalised only from April 1, 2021. Such diversion of funds from consolidated funds of state is a serious matter," he had said.