Actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty on Saturday rejected West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s claim that the BJP was trying to impose President’s Rule in the state through the appointment of a new Governor.
His remarks came after Banerjee alleged that the Centre had appointed RN Ravi as Governor with a political motive ahead of the state Assembly elections.
Responding to the charge, Chakraborty questioned what the BJP would gain if President’s Rule were imposed in West Bengal. “You tell me what benefit BJP will get if President’s Rule is imposed. What advantage will we have?” he said while speaking to reporters.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress government of delaying matters by repeatedly approaching the courts. “The delay is because of you. You are going to the Supreme Court and doing everything, and now you are talking about 60 lakh votes,” Chakraborty said.
Mithun questions repeated FIR review, denies BJP role
Chakraborty further raised questions over the repeated review of FIRs and ongoing examinations linked to the issue. According to him, there must be a reason behind the developments, but the BJP had no involvement.
“Why is the FIR being reviewed again and again? Why are examinations being conducted again? There must be some reason,” he said.
The BJP leader insisted that no one from his party was directing any authority to take such steps. “BJP has nothing to do with it. No BJP person is telling anyone to do this. What will happen by doing that?” he added.
Referring to Ravi’s appointment, Chakraborty said it should not automatically be linked to President’s Rule. “Ravi sahib coming here does not mean President’s Rule will be imposed. It’s a matter of time, and within that timeframe anything can happen,” he said.
Governor change sparks political exchange
The political exchange comes after President Droupadi Murmu on March 5 accepted the resignation of West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose.
Following the resignation, RN Ravi has been appointed as the new Governor of West Bengal.
In a statement earlier, Mamata Banerjee said she was “shocked and deeply concerned” by Bose’s resignation and claimed she had been informed about the development by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
She added that given the political situation in the state, she would not be surprised if the Governor had faced pressure from the Union Home Minister to serve certain political interests ahead of the Assembly elections.