Signs of Rift? BJP's Absence at Governor's Saraswati Puja Event Triggers Buzz; TMC Slams Pressure Tactic'

If the buzz in political circles is to be believed, there may be trouble brewing between West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and BJP, with the latest flashpoint being the Saraswati Puja celebrations in the state.

On Thursday, Bose, in a bid to start learning Bengali, organised ‘Hathe Khori’ (traditional Bengali ceremony to introduce education to young children) at Raj Bhawan.

While Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took part in the celebrations, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari was conspicuous by his absence. Taking to Twitter, Adhikari shared the invite and also explained why he would not be attending the ceremony.

Adhikari called the event an attempt by the state government to “wash off the stain” arising from the teacher recruitment scam in which the former education minister and other officials are languishing in prison. Ruing corruption in education in the state, he slammed ‘Queen Pin’ Banerjee and recalled how she wanted to abolish the post of the Governor before.

The Trinamool Congress, on the other hand, slammed Adhikari, alleging that he was criticising the Governor as the latter was not toeing the line of the BJP like his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankar.

Bose shares a cordial relationship with the chief minister, unlike Dhankar, with whom Banerjee’s face-offs were a daily affair.

TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh, while slamming Adhikari, said the LoP was trying to pressure the Governor and defame him because he was politically neutral.

On Thursday night, Bose went to Delhi and soon there was buzz that his visit may be the result of a fallout with the BJP.

However, Ghosh was quick to react and called the visit “pre-scheduled”, criticising the BJP for setting a narrative to intimidate Bose.

The BJP, meanwhile, has refuted allegations of a rift with the Governor. Party insiders said skipping the event was merely Adhikari’s way of highlighting that at a time when Bengal’s education system was mired in corruption, Banerjee was trying to politicise the Governor’s good intention of learning Bengali. They added that Bose’s desire to learn Bengali meant he wanted to be more attached to the state. ​

Read all the Latest Politics News here