Jagdeep Dhankhar enters VP race: Know West Bengal governor's TOP controversies with Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar has often had face-offs with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

Pic Credit: File Photo

New Delhi: NDA's candidate for the post of Vice President of India will be Jagdeep Dhankhar, BJP chief JP Nadda said. Making the announcement, BJP president J P Nadda lauded Dhankhar as a "kisan putra" (farmer's son) who established himself as a "people's governor". Since assuming charge as the governor of West Bengal in July 2019, Jagdeep Dhankhar has often been in news over his disagreements and tiffs with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.  

Take a look at his biggest controversies with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee:

When Mamata blocked Dhankhar on Twitter

In January 2022, Mamata Banerjee blocked Dhankhar on Twitter accusing him for ‘targeting’ and ‘abusing’ her government. She said, “I have been forced to block Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Twitter” as quoted by ANI. "Everyday he (Governor) was issuing tweets targeting and threatening govt officials as if we're his bonded labourers," the Chief Minister further added.

After she blocked him, Governor asked Mamata to reply to his queries

In February this year, Dhankhar urged Banerjee to engage in dialogue with him and answer the queries raised by him. He wrote in a letter and tweet to her, “Dialogue, discussion and deliberation, particularly amongst constitutional functionaries like the chief minister and the Governor are quintessential to democracy and inseparable part of constitutional governance.”

Birbhum violence: When Mamata asked Dhankhar to not make ‘unwarranted statements’

In March this year, when a mob in West Bengal’s Birbhum area set fire to houses after the murder of a TMC leader Bahadur Shaikh, Mamata and Dhankhar again got into a war of words. Reacting to the violence, Dhankhar had shared a video on Twitter condemning the violence and blaming ‘lawlessness’. 
West Bengal CM asked the Governor to “refrain from making unwarranted statements and allow administration to conduct an impartial probe” on the incident.

Governor slammed Mamata’s 'jihad statement' against BJP

In June this year, Jagdeep Dhankhar spoke against Mamata Banerjee’s statement that the TMC is declaring 21st July as ‘day of Jihad against the BJP’. Dhankhar said that "authoritarian and undemocratic" statement will bring the "death knell" of democracy and rule of law.

Appointment of Chancellor of state-run universities

In the West Bengal Assembly passed a bill which seeks to replace the governor with the CM as the chancellor of the state's University of Health Sciences. After this, the governor said that the legislation was passed to steal attention from the fact that Calcutta HC found irregularities in recruitment of teachers in state schools.

Appointment of Vice Chancellor of RBU 

In July this year, WB Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar announced Mahua Mukherjee as the next Vice Chancellor of of Rabindra Bharati University (RBU). This courted a controversy as a bill to nominate CM Mamata Banerjee as the Chancellor of state-run universities is yet to be approved by him.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Kunal Ghosh had a strong reaction to this, he said, “The governor has once again proved that he does not believe in democratic principles and federalism.”

“The Bill passed by the West Bengal Assembly to appoint the Chief Minister to the post of Chancellor of the state universities is awaited, while the Hon’ble Governor has announced one name as the Vice-Chancellor of RBU. He did not even consider it necessary to take the Education Minister and the Chief Minister into confidence before this announcement.”

When Mamata Banerjee called Governor about Nandigram elections

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on April 1, 2022 had called state governor Jagdeep Dhankhar about the concerns of voters not being able to vote in Nandigram constituency. She said, “The local people are not being allowed to vote. I have been campaigning since morning. Now I am appealing to you, please watch.” She had tweeted the request. Dhankhar replied to her on Twitter as well and said, “Have been apprised of issues identified sometime back over phone to Mamata Banerjee. It has been assured that the rule of law will be followed.”