India News | Dhankhar Trying to Use Assembly Premises to Serve Political Interests : WB Speaker

Kolkata, Apr 18 (PTI) West Bengal Speaker Biman Banerjee on Monday slammed Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar for "trying to use the Assembly premises to serve political interests" and said he should be aware of his constitutional limitations.

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Referring to the birth anniversary programme of B R Ambedkar's at the Assembly presmises last week where Dhankhar had slammed the Trinamool Congress government, Banerjee, who has been at loggerheads with the governor on several occasions in the past, said he should know where to stop.

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"The Governor should abide by the constitutional norms. He should know where to stop. He should be well aware of his constitutional limits. He was using the assembly premises to serve a political purpose. I don't think what he did (that day) was right," the speaker said.

The Constitution clearly states a separate set of duties for the governor, the chief minister and the speaker. He should remember that, he said.

Dhankhar had criticised the Mamata Banerjee government for the "worsening law and order situation" saying the people do not deserve a state known only for violence, where bureaucracy has been politicised and the Constitution is disregarded.

The speaker, who was standing next to Dhankhar at the assembly premises as he spoke to the reporters, had hit out saying it was not a press conference.

"The honourable Governor is here to pay tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar. I would also request the same to the honourable Governor," the Speaker had said.

Dhankhar had shot back saying, "We live in a country where there is freedom of speech, and everybody is allowed to express their views".

Banerjee, who recently attended the All India Speakers' conference, said he had raised the issue of "external interference" in the assembly's decisions at the meeting.

"Lately, we have been noticing that whatever decision we are taking as presiding officer of the assembly is being challenged in the court. I have raised this issue at the conference," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)