Amidst the ongoing tussle between Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and the state government, the former today raked up a fresh controversy over the Budget speech that he is scheduled to deliver on 7 February in the Assembly. As per norm, the Budget session will commence with the address by the Governor and the Budget will be placed by state finance minister Amit Mitra sometime later during the session. The state Cabinet had ratified the draft of the Governor’s speech on 3 February and sent it to Mr Dhankhar.

Speaking to media persons at Raj Bhawan this morning, Mr Dhankhar said that if there were different points of view, there should not be any confrontation between him and the state government and that both sides needed to be accommodative of the other’s point of view. “A draft of the address has been made available to me after approval by the Cabinet. That is under my consideration. If I leave one issue, or make an addition, I will do it in a formal manner,” Dhankhar said.

“My input to the state government is a matter between me and the state government. And even if there are different points of view, that cannot take us to a level of confrontation. (We should) be accommodative of each other’s point of view, keeping only one thing in mind ~ rule of law, Indian Constitution and welfare of the state, its people, and its development,” Mr Dhankhar said.

He said that state chief secretary Rajiva Sinha called on him and discussions were “in cordial atmosphere with affirmative approach” that were held for two hours. We are all committed to the development of the state, he added. Earlier the interaction with state parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee and Mr Mitra was “productive and marked with a productive approach”.

“That has generated in me a great hope that in togetherness we all will work for the welfare of people of the state,” he said. Since Mr Dhankhar took charge last year, he had engaged in repeated controversies with the state government on issues ranging from law and order, education, health and other legislative and administrative matters. Trinamul Congress activists, students and youths have protested before him against his support to the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Again, he had been prevented from attending the convocations of Jadavpur University and Calcutta University due to intense student protests.However, with the Budget session round the corner, there was a sign of reconciliation between Nabanna state secretariat and the Raj Bhavan. The first step was for the state government to agree to provide Mr Dhankhar a helicopter for his travel to Santiniketan recently though on two earlier occasions his request for helicopter to visit different districts was turned down.