Jagdeep Dhankhar asks Mamata Banerjee to withdraw 'jihad against BJP' remark

'Nothing can be more authoritarian and undemocratic, the Governor said in the latter to Banerjee

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has written a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, asking her to withdraw the "most unconstitutional declaration of 'jihad' against the BJP on July 21", that she made in a public speech.

The Governor took the step after a 10-member BJP delegation, led by the leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari met him on Wednesday evening and complained about the statement made by the chief minister at a public rally in the industrial township of Asansol in West Burdwan district on June 28.

Adhikari pointed out to the Governor that in her said speech, the chief minister declared July 21, 2022, as "a day of Jihad against the BJP". Adhikari also gave a video recording of the chief minister's speech as supporting documents to his complaint. The Trinamool Congress observes its annual Martyrs' Day programme on July 21 in Kolkata in memory of 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed allegedly in police firing during a rally on that day in 1993 when Banerjee was in the Congress and the CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power in the state.

Read | Mamata Banerjee’s ‘jihad’ call against BJP gets Opposition up in arms

Soon after meeting the BJP delegation, the Governor wrote the letter to the chief minister requesting her to withdraw the particular term.

"I cannot, but take the strongest possible exception to your statement. To subserve democratic value and constitutionalism, you are urged to forthwith withdraw this most unconstitutional declaration of 'jihad' against the BJP on 21 July, 2022. I would appreciate your immediate response to the above, the Governor's letter to the chief minister read.

In the letter, he also pointed out that that statement revealed in the video was unfortunate and indicated connotational anarchy. "It defies logic and reason as to how one under the Oath of Constitution and holding the position of Chief Minister could make such pernicious declaration of 'jihad' against a political party. This is death-knell of democracy and rule of law. Nothing can be more authoritarian and undemocratic," the Governor added in the latter.

According to Adhikari, the word 'jihad' means a "religious war". "So, the chief minister has indirectly declared war against those people who voted for BJP in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. We went to the Governor to seek protection for these people," he said.

The Trinamool Congress state general secretary and party spokesman Kunal Ghosh said that as usual the Governor has acted like a mouthpiece of the BJP by writing such a letter to the chief minister. "The Governor has been going against his constitutional authorities again and again," he said.