The West Bengal BJP leadership on Wednesday hit out at the ruling Trinamool Congress for its reservations over entrusting the CRPF with the security of Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, alleging that the state government was not keen on providing adequate police protection to him.
The Ministry of Home Affairs last week issued an order directing the CRPF to take charge of Dhankhar's security, which will be valid in all parts of the country.
The West Bengal government had, in a letter to the MHA dated October 21, sought to know why it was not consulted before the decision was taken to hand over the governor's security to the CRPF.
West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said the manner in which Dhankar and Union minister Babul Supriyo were heckled inside the Jadavpur University campus last month points to the fact that the law and order situation has broken down in the state.
"The Mamata Banerjee government is opposing it (CRPF security to governor). But, she herself was provided security by the Railways during her tenure as railway minister. Later, when she became chief minister, some jawans of the RPF were still deployed for her security.
"If the state government did not have any problem to it, then what is the issue now if the governor is provided security by the central government," Ghosh said.
Another senior BJP leader Sayantan Basu said the entire country was aware of the continuing violence in Bengal, and how the state "failed" to provide security to a union minister.
"Will the state government take responsibility if the governor again faces a similar situation like the September 19 incident at Jadavpur university," Basu said.
Sources in the governor's office said a communication was sent to the state government to upgrade his security from Z to Z+ category, after his vehicle was blocked at Jadavpur University by students when he had gone there to "rescue" Supriyo in September.
Supriyo was shown black flags, heckled and mobbed by students of Left-leaning organisations who tried to prevent him from addressing an event of the ABVP, the students wing of the RSS.
The opposition CPI(M) and the Congress are of the view that the post of the governor should be respected.
"There can be differences with the governor. But, the post and the chair has to be respected. The kind of statements made by TMC leaders (against Dhankar) is completely unacceptable," state Congress president Somen Mitra said.
Dhankhar, who took oath as the governor of West Bengal on July 30, has been at loggerheads with the state government over several issues.
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