Derek O’Brien: Governors must stick to guidance

Trinamul Congress parliamentary party leader and Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien had some words of advice for governors when he tweeted that governors can be a guiding figure for a state. “They must decide whether they want to be an elder statesman or Delhi’s Viceroy. Can’t be both. As I said a few weeks ago, the Raj Bhavan shakha must stop. They must behave, act and speak like governors,” he tweeted. Although he did not name anybody, there is no prize for guessing it was is directed towards Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi.

In October, soon after the state EC stayed the counting process for municipal polls, he had posted, “BJP has finally found its leader in West Bengal... The active politician who’s going to front for the party and in effect handle its campaign is Keshari Nath Tripathi.”

As it happens, he is the governor of the state. And the incumbent in Raj Bhavan is supposed to be a political, and meant to be scrupulously neutral, especially in these days of socalled “cooperative federalism”. He has to decide whether he is Bengal’s elder statesman or Delhi’s Viceroy. He cannot be both. The Raj Bhavan shakha must stop (sic).”

A senior TMC leader said that the national spokesperson’s tweet is a clear indication of the party’s stepping up its fight against the BJP. In recent times, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on more than one occasion had lambasted the BJP government for the termination or drastic reduction of funds for several social sector projects.