An unanswered invitation to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by the unveiling of a portrait of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ar Raj Bhavan on his birth anniversary by Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar became the new bone of contention between Banerjee and Dhankhar on Wednesday.
Making his displeasure clear over the issue the Governor said that he was pained not have received any response from the Chief Minister or the state government.
“Lack of acknowledgement, response, any representation on her behalf and any message on her behalf has pained me. The Speaker of Assembly and the Chief Secretary were also invited among others,” said Dhankhar. He was speaking to journalists at Raj Bhavan after the event.
Describing the absence og any response from the Chief Minister and the state government as a “very disturbing trend” Dhankhar said that it should not have happened in relation to a person like Vajpayee who has served the country with distinction and made it a nuclear power.
Dhsnkhar also pointed out that the Chief Minister shared a very cordial relationship with Vajpayee who played a key role in her political career.
“The Chief Minister has indicated that Vajpayee ji had interacted with her mother. I personally know that from 2001 to 2004 Atal ji contributed hugely to the political career prospects of the Chief Minister,” said Dhankhar.
The Governor also said that being the Chief Minister for the second tern he thought that Banerjee would be able to spare time for the event.
“There can be situations where on a particular day the Chief Minister may not be able to make herself available. But that does not diminish the respect for Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji,” said Dhankhar.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister paid homage to the late Vajpayee on twitter describing him as a “statesman who rose above partisan politics” for the betterment of the country.
“Tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji on his birth anniversary. He was a statesman who rose above partisan politics for the country’s good. We miss him a lot,” tweeted Banerjee.
The development comes a day after the Governor lashed out at the state government when he was prevented from entering the Jadavpur University campus due to a blockade by an association of non-teaching staff known to be close to the Trinamool Congress.