Bengal Governor is being childish: Jyoti Basu

LIVID LEFT FRONT: An agitated Basu said the Governor should have given his suggestions to the Power Minister.

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Keywords: Trinamool Congress, Left

New Delhi: Gopal Krishna Gandhi's Gandhigiri continues to generate debate in West Bengal with CPI-M patriarch Jyoti Basu lashing out at the Governor for his self-imposed power cuts at the Raj Bhavan.

An agitated Basu said, “There is a dignity to the Governor's office. He should have given his suggestions to the Power Minister Mrinal Banerjee. Instead he is doing these childish things and going against the state government.”

The Governor had earlier said that he is doing his bit for the power-starved farmers by cutting the electricity supply to his residence for two hours everyday.

The Left however, is livid since his action is sending out a political message on the eve of panchayat polls in the state.

Ironically, the Opposition Trinamool Congress, which is always looking out for such brownie points, is supporting the Governor. And in support, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee is switching off power at her residence as well for two hours.

The action of the Governor, who is Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, raised the hackles of the CPI-M top brass in the state who even said that the Governor's post should be abolished altogether since it was a colonial legacy.

The Bengal government has failed to manage uninterrupted power supply to large parts of the state and even Kolkata has been reeling under severe power cuts.

Power cuts are frequent in Kolkata, as the city needs approximately 1,400 mega watts daily and the shortfall reaches up to 160 mega watts.

Governor vs state government

This is not the first instance of a spat between the state government and Gandhi. The Governor had earlier angered the CPI-M when in November 2007 he had criticised the “unlawful and unacceptable” recapture of Nandigram by CPI-M workers.

The CPI-M had then said that Gandhi had “out stepped the constitutional limit of the highest office of the state” and his statement had “embolden the forces determined to destabilise peace in the state.”