New Delhi, July 5: The Congress today said governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had no right to continue in the Bengal Raj Bhavan after the "partisan" way he behaved with an elected chief minister and insulted her.
"News emanating from West Bengal points out towards the disrespectful, distasteful and overbearing conduct of governor Keshari Nath Tripathi towards an elected woman chief minister," party spokesperson Sushmita Dev said in a statement.
"Never in the history of India has the governor (of a state) acted in such partisan fashion, insulting and shouting at a chief minister to serve the interests of the ruling political party at the Centre. This is a clear disregard of the Constitution and disrespect of people's mandate."
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had yesterday accused Tripathi of "threatening" her when he telephoned her to enquire about unrest in pockets of North 24-Parganas.
The Bengal Raj Bhavan had denied the Trinamul leader's allegation.
The Congress used the controversy to attack the BJP for turning most of the Raj Bhavans in the country into centres of political machination and conspiracies.
"The (central) government is using the august office of (the) governor to serve the conspiratorial political machinations of (the) BJP-Sangh parivar," the statement said, adding the Narendra Modi government was "shamelessly denigrating, decimating and abusing the institution of the governor to destabilise elected governments".
The Congress spokesperson then targeted Kiran Bedi, accusing the Puducherry lieutenant-governor of violating "every established norm".
"Lt Governor of Puducherry, Kiran Bedi, the former failed BJP chief ministerial candidate of Delhi and self-styled instigator against the previous UPA government, violated every established norm and tradition to swear in three defeated BJP candidates as nominated MLAs in the dead of the night yesterday i.e. July 4, 2017. Ironical as it is, one of the three nominated MLAs is V. Saminathan, BJP president of Puducherry," Dev said.
Usually neutral persons are chosen in the nominated category.
"Another nominated MLA was K.G. Shankar, the treasurer of the Puducherry BJP, and the third is an RSS member, Selvaganapathy," Dev said.
"It flagrantly violates provisions of the Rules of Business of Government of Puducherry, 1963, framed under Section 46 of the Government of Union Territory Act and Articles 239 and also 309 of the Constitution of India."
Dev also contended that Bedi should have acted only on the advice of the cabinet, as the law says, before demanding that both Tripathi and Bedi step down.
"Both these governors - Kiran Bedi and Keshari Nath Tripathi - have compromised the basic tenets of constitutional propriety and must cease to continue in the high office of the governor," Dev said.
She alleged that the Modi government had become a habitual offender in undermining the institution of the governor, amply demonstrated in the acts of Arunachal Pradesh governor J.B. Rajkhowa in bringing down an elected Congress government.
"A similar conspiracy was hatched against the (then) Harish Rawat government in Uttarakhand. The Supreme Court quashed the imposition of President's rule in both the states," she added.
The Congress spokesperson also recalled the conduct of the governors of Manipur and Goa who, according to her, played a "sinister game of converting minority into majority".
"The entire nation witnessed as Najma Heptullah, governor of Manipur, disregarded the Congress party's majority and permitted a defeated BJP accompanied by a motley group to be sworn in. Goa governor Mridula Sinha went a step further by consulting Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on formation of the government in utter disregard of the Constitution," Dev said.
She described Tripura governor Tathagata Roy as "one of the worst offenders", saying "his provocative tweets, Facebook posts and intemperate statements on a daily basis incite violence and create disharmony, both social and religious".
