West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has hit out at the Trinamool Congress-led State Government for the latter’s handling of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and said that the health infrastructure has “collapsed”.
Meanwhile, TMC MP Saugata Roy condemned the Governor’s statement and called them “irrelevant” and “irresponsible”.
On the first day of his scheduled tour to North Bengal, including Darjeeling, Dhankhar held a brief press conference in Siliguri on Saturday. It was from there that he launched a scathing attack against the West Bengal Government.
Apart from handling the pandemic, the Governor also criticised the Mamata Banerjee-led administration for failing the farmers and healthcare workers. He also took a dig at the state’s bureaucracy and alleged that public servants were “political footsoldiers”.
About the coronavirus pandemic, Dhankhar said, “COVID has made us aware of one thing in particular. That is, our health infrastructure in state of West Bengal collapsed. Health infrastructure could not measure up to the requisite requirements inspite of our state having enormous human resource.
“The reason for that has been ill-advised, unfortunate, confrontational stance of the State Government to the welfare schemes of the Central Government.”
Hitting out at the bureaucracy, the Governor said, “Public servants are working as political footsoldiers. Public servants have disowned their official roles. Their connect with (public service) is only about getting their salary. Otherwise, they are frontline political workers.
“We have two brilliant officials of 2012 batch in Darjeeling, SP and DM. I would appeal to those youngsters, it is not their job to be political workers. They are in political overdrive. Very serious inputs are available.”
Warning the two mentioned officials, Dhankhar asked them to “not play with the fire” and said that it was “time for them to read the rule book and time for them to see the writing on the wall”.
Meanwhile, West Bengal’s ruling party did not waste a moment and gave the 69-year-old former BJP leader a tough reply.
About Dhankhar’s observation that West Bengal government did not take the benefits of Central’s welfare scheme, Dum MP Saugata Roy said, as seen on ABP Ananda, “If taking Ayushman Bharat was the solution, why is COVID-19 spreading in other states as well? This is just an impractical statement.”
On the Governor’s warning to the bureaucrats in Darjeeling, the 73-year-old Roy said, “I heard him threatening the DM and SP. He mentioned how the public servants should world under Section 312 of the Indian Constitution. He has gone to North Bengal to do conspiracy against the State Government.
“Dhankhar’s statements hold no importance. That he has been selected by the Central Government as a Governor is his only importance. His words have no relevance,” Roy concluded.