Kolkata, March 4 Taking "strong exception" to a senor West Bengal Minister's statement that the Raj Bhavan should not be worried about any possible violence in the upcoming civic polls as law and order is a state subject, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said the comments "betray elementary ignorance both of the Constitution and the role of the Governor".
A Raj Bhavan media release quoted Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim as saying: "The Governor should not be worried about any possible violence in the upcoming polls since law and order is a state issue. If as a person, he feels deeply about crimes against human beings, then he should feel pained at the recent Delhi riots which took several human lives while more dead bodies might be recovered."
The release also mentioned Hakim - known for his proximity to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee - as saying that the state government has held a meeting for maintaining law and order during the civic polls.
"The approach of Minister Firhad Hakim with respect to the role of Governor of the state, to say the least, betrays elementary ignorance both of the constitution and the role of the Governor. Making such public statements, contrary to Constitutional essence and spirit, does not promote synergy between the constitutional Head and the state government," Dhankhar said.
Delving into the Constitution, Dhankhar said the Governor, by virtue of his oath, "is enjoined to protect the constitution within the state".
"Governor Dhankhar asserted that he had consistent with his constitutional obligations interacted with the State Election Commissioner (Saurabh Kumar Das) on February 27 so that the upcoming municipal polls are violence free.
"This should be the cherished dream of all - who live in the state of West Bengal. This has been done with a positive framework of mind as the situation in 2013 and 2018 (panchayat elections) left much to be desired.
"The violence trail witnessed during those elections cannot be allowed to be repeated this time," he said.
Calling Hakim's reflections on the Delhi violence as "wholly unjustified", he said: "West Bengal cannot afford to have an image of violence-stricken state."
The Governor said during the Lok Sabha polls last year, "every phase was tainted by acts of violence".
Dhankhar also appealed to the bureaucracy "that it cannot afford to have partisan approach during the elections or at any time" and warned that such an approach amounted to "misconduct that leads to serious consequences".
Since arriving in the state late July last year to take over his gubernatorial responsibility, Dhankhar has got into a series of confrontations with the Banerjee government on issues like law and order, education, health and other legislative and administrative matters.
He has repeatedly complained that the government including the Chief Minister has not shown him due courtesy.
( With inputs from IANS )