'No extra Constitutional power given to Governor to decide how state govt would function'

Kolkata Reacting to the allegation raised by Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar that the state government had not taken any step to control post poll violence or attacks on women, state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim on Thursday said that the Constitution of India had not conferred any extra Constitutional power on the Governor to decide how the state government would function.

He said there is a Council of ministers, who decide how the state government will function and the Governor can only give advice. Dhankhar went to the Assembly to take part in a programme to celebrate the birth centenary of Ambedkar.

Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay said the allegations made by the Governor were not true.

Bandyopadhyay requested the Governor not to hold any press conference in the Assembly as it was not the right place. However, ignoring him, the Governor talked to the press and made allegations.

The Speaker said: "Every one functions within his or her ambit and we function accordingly. We follow the Constitution."

Kunal Ghosh, state secretary of Trinamool Congress said: "It is really amazing that the Governor who always criticises the state government does not appreciate when 14 rural bodies bag award announced by the Centre."

Dr Shantanu Sen, Trinamool Congress MP said: "Being the Constitutional head, the Governor has lowered the prestige of the Indian Constitution."

Ghosh also claimed that women in West Bengal were safer than in other states. "Our state's Chief Minister is a woman herself. Her focus on women safety and security. No one wants such incidents (Hanskhali rape) to occur. But some stray incidents happen sometime. We condemn such incidents," Ghosh added.