Kolkata Jan 31 PTI West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday she has blocked Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Twitter accusing the Raj Bhawan occupant of treating everybody as a bonded labourer but the former Supreme Court lawyer dexterously navigated the hurdle approaching the tempestuous TMC boss on WhatsApp to stress on the importance of dialogue and harmony in democracy The seemingly unending tug of war between the TMC government and Raj Bhawan reached a new low when Banerjee told a press conference she had blocked Dhankhars official Twitter handle because of his posts repeatedly targeting her government The row over the Pegasus spyware came in handy for the chief minister to attack Dhankhar Pegasus is being used from Raj Bhawan she alleged Banerjee who accused Dhankhar of threatening senior state government officials like the chief secretary and state police chief claimed the governor endorses BJP goons who are involved in killing people in Bengal every day Dhankhar hit right back referring to Article 167 of the Constitution to remind the chief minister of her constitutional duty to furnish information related to the administration of the affairs of the State and proposals for legislation I have blocked the governor from my Twitter account I had no option I am sorry about this I blocked him Because I used to get irritated seeing his governors tweet every day In his tweets he used to speak in a way that is not humane He will tweet every day abuse officials and sometimes abuse and accuse me He does these things by speaking in abusive unethical and unconstitutional way she said Dhankhars response was quick as he insisted on Twitter that Article 159 of the Constitution mandates nobody in the state blocks Constitutional Norms and Rules of Law and those in authority bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India Under Article 167 it is Constitutional duty of the Chief Minister to furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the State and proposals for legislation as the Governor may call for Why block information to Guv now for two years he wrote Banerjee declared she will not countenance any attempt at forcing an elected government to act at a bonded labourer Accusing Dhankhar of acting like a super pehredar watchman she said the governor was not clearing files and bills forwarded to him including those related to the Howrah Municipal Corporation and Bally municipality Even though it the governors is a nominated post he is sitting at the top like a super pehredar she alleged and reminded Dhankhar of the Sarkaria Commission report on Centre-State relations She claimed the governor does not consult her on important issues related to the administration of the state which the Commission mandated Dhankhar always game for a fight with the state government wrote on Twitter he had emphasised on the importance of dialogue and harmony in a WhatsApp message to Banerjee which he had read WB Guv Message to Honble CM on her WHATSAPP today and read by her at 1025 am today- Dialogue and harmony amongst constitutional functionaries is essence and spirit of democracy and mandate of the constitution This can blossom with mutual regard and respect There has been all through highest personal regard for you from my side Am sure this will receive your thoughtful consideration Regards he wrote in a series of tweets It was not immediately known when Banerjee blocked Dhankhar on Twitter and whether the latters advice about harmony between the constitutional functionaries on WhatsApp came after she had decided to choke his tweets to prevent them from reaching her An angry Banerjee said she has written four letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the recall of Dhankhar but in vain The governor endorses the BJP goons who are killing people in Bengal every day and is encouraging them I will still ask the prime minister why he has not been withdrawn even after I wrote four letters to him she said adding a similar demand for recall of then governor Dharam Vira was made by the Communists in the late 1960s Dharam Vira had dismissed the Left government led by Ajay Mukherjee Banerjee alleged the governor was summoning officials and threatening them He cannot do this At the most he can tell the chief minister He is threatening people starting from officials in courts Enforcement Directorate CBI Customs and police commissioner of Kolkata DG chief secretary home secretary principal secretaries DMs and the SPs What does he think of himself a livid Banerjee said The sparring between Raj Bhawan and the government set off a political storm with the Bengal BJP leadership standing firmly behind Dhankhar and the TMC openly asking whether the governor has taken over the mantle of an opposition leader The chief minister is trying to hide facts and that is why she has blocked the governor on Twitter This is unprecedented in a democratic country BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said On Banerjees allegation against the governor about snooping he said it is the state government that is spying on opposition leaders Minutes after Banerjee declared she has blocked Dhankhar on Twitter several TMC leaders followed suit TMC leader in Rajya Sabha Derek OBrien and senior party leader Sougata Roy said they too are blocking the Tweet-a-Minute governor of Bengal on Twitter and WhatsApp TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh alleged the governor has taken over the mantle of state BJP working president and is trying to divert attention from the infighting in the saffron camp PTI SCH PNT KK SK SK

Kolkata Dec 27 PTI West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee Monday said he cannot fathom the reason behind Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar not giving his assent to a bill for bifurcation of the Howrah Municipal CorporationHe said the elections to Howrah Municipal Corporation and Bally municipality could have been held together with polls to other municipal bodies in the state where these are due had the governor given assent I cannot comprehend why the governor is not giving his assent to the bill the Speaker said in his assembly chamberAsked about her view on the delay in getting assent from Dhankhar Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said there are constitutional bindings and I will do what I am supposed to and he will do what he is supposed toBanerjee was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting at the assembly premises on selection of the states Human Rights Commission members Dhankhar and the Mamata Banerjee government are on a collision path over the bifurcation bill that seeks to carve out the erstwhile Bally municipality out of the Howrah Municipal CorporationThe governor had said on Sunday that he sent back the bill to the state government with queries on November 24 but is yet to get the necessary clarificationsThe State Election Commission and the West Bengal government have told the Calcutta High Court that plans are afoot to hold polls to five municipal corporations on January 22 and for the remaining municipal bodies on February 27 Elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation were held on December 19 PTI AMR RBT RBT

Kolkata Dec 24 PTI West Bengal State Election Commissioner Saurav Das called on Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday and discussed issues related to pending municipal polls in the state amid allegations of rigging and intimidation against the ruling TMC by opposition camps during the just-concluded KMC elections A tussle had recently erupted between the SEC the state government and the governor over the issue of central force deployment for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC elections The SEC had opted for state police force deployment for the Kolkata elections despite opposition parties expressing apprehensions of violence and intimidation by TMC supporters WB State Election Commissioner Shri Saurav Das called on Governor West Bengal Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today at Raj Bhavan Kolkata Issues relatable to Municipal Elections MamataOfficial were traversed Dhankhar tweeted following the meeting Elections to 111 municipal bodies are due in West Bengal The SEC and the state government have told the Calcutta High Court that they plan to conduct elections to five municipal corporations -- Howrah Asansol Bidhannagar Chandannagar and Siliguri -- on January 22 and the remaining civic bodies on February 27 State Advocate General S N Mookherjee informed the Chief Justice on Friday that the governor has given his assent to a bill for excluding areas of erstwhile Bally municipality from Howrah Municipal Corporation paving the way for holding separate elections to the two bodies Dhankhar had earlier sent the bill back to the state government for reconsideration PTI AMR RMS RMS

Kolkata Nov 24 PTI West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday returned to the state government for reconsideration a bill for excluding areas of erstwhile Bally municipality from Howrah Municipal Corporation and observed that the authorities have acted in an arbitrary unfair and non-judicious manner The state cabinet had taken a decision to simultaneously constitute a new municipality covering areas of erstwhile Bally Municipality I am constrained to observe that on quintessentially jurisdictional aspect in respect of consideration of the objections by the State Government under section 219 of the Howrah Municipal Corporation Act 1980 Act the authorities have acted in an arbitrary unfair and non-judicious manner the governor said in a four-page note to the Mamata Banerjee government No details of any consideration by the state government had emanated either from the order or otherwise Dhankar said and sought several documents for consideration of The Howrah Municipal Corporation Amendment Bill 2021 relating to proceedings of hearing and adjudication of objections Holding that objections are to be considered by the state government he asked on what premise or authority objections came to be considered by the Howrah Sadar SDO or the district magistrate of Howrah The governor asked for full record of consideration of the objections by the state government and proceedings and full details of objections and their disposal in relation to The Howrah Municipal Corporation Second Amendment Act 2015 He also sought the Assembly proceedings with respect to the Bill that finally led to The Howrah Municipal Corporation Second Amendment Act 2015 Noting that the record made available indicates that 18 objections were received to the proposed bill Dhankhar said that the Howrah Sadar SDO by a notice dated July 19 had indicated to the objectors that they may appear before him for a hearing on July 30 Dhankhar wrote that all these notices carry the assertion Whereas you have placed a proposal to the Commissioner Howrah Municipal Corporation for exclusion of area of erstwhile Bally Municipality from the jurisdiction of Howrah Municipal Corporation He wrote that this assertion is not in sync with the objections preferred as the proposal by the objectors to the commissioner was not for exclusion of area of erstwhile Bally Municipality from the jurisdiction of Howrah Municipal Corporation but the objections were to the contrary Such factually inaccurate representation in the notice dated 1972021 apart from being inappropriate is bound to adversely impact the proceedings the governor wrote He noted that the SDO in his communication to the district magistrate proposed disposal of the objections on the ground that the petitioners submitted the petition beyond 30 days of publication and there is no specific objection regarding any particular mouza etc rather against the general notification as a whole for better development work under Howrah Municipal Corporation compared to Bally Municipality The rationale and premise indicated in the communication dated 482021 are unacceptable as there is no final adjudication of the objections the governor said The district magistrate rejected the suggestionobjections Dhankhar wrote holding that it is an appalling aspect that one who did not accord hearing to the objectors declined the suggestionobjections on the basis of the communication from the SDO He said that the premise is also in disregard of the legislative mandate in section 2192 of the Howrah Municipal Corporation Act 1980 This stipulation allows Any local authority or any inhabitants or rate-payers of such area affected by such intention of the State Government declared by such notification may if they object to such intention submit their objections in writing to the State Government within such period as may be specified in such notification and the State Government shall take such objections into consideration Dhankhar said that as per legal provisions there ought to have been lawful fair and objective consideration of the objections by the State Government The consideration of objections leaves all to be desired from the legal perspective Such arbitrary and unjust determination of objections cannot be legally sanctified Dhankhar said He said that it is of considerable significance that this determination of objections is jurisdictionally quintessential for any way forward towards taking steps to amend the Act PTI AMR KK KK KK

Kolkata Nov 17 PTI The West Bengal assembly on Wednesday amended the Howrah Municipal Corporation HMC Act to separate Bally Municipality which was a part of the corporation since 2015A Bill in this regard was tabled and passed in the House during the day the last day of the winter session around a month before the proposed date of election to HMC December 19Minister of State for Urban and Municipal Affairs Chandrima Bhattacharya said the idea behind the bifurcation is better development of Bally area and to provide improved service to peopleOpposition BJP however claimed that Bally Municipality was separated from HMC because of political reasonsState Election Commission officials recently said the panel has accepted the West Bengal governments proposal to hold the polling to HMC and Kolkata Municipal Corporation on December 19 However the notification is yet to be issuedThe BJP has moved the Calcutta High Court with a prayer that election to all municipal bodies where it is due be held together on a single day The case is now pendingThe five-year term of elected representatives who run West Bengals 112 municipalities and corporations ended in the last two years but elections could not be held due to the Covid-19 pandemic These civic bodies are being run by administrators appointed by the state governmentOn November 12 the assembly passed a resolution to carve out the area under Bally Municipality in Howrah district from the jurisdiction of HMCThe number of councillors of HMC will come down to 50 from 66 following the bifurcationHowrah Municipality was established in 1862 and it was upgraded to the status of a municipal corporation in 1984 Bally Municipality which was formed in 1883 was merged with HMC on June 26 2015 PTI dc NN NN