Whether West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi will get an extension will be known only in December, but the ruling Left Front has already begun opposing the possibility.
Whether West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi will get an extension will be known only in December, but the ruling Left Front in the state has already begun opposing the possibility.
A day after Gandhi met prime minister Manmohan Singh to brief him on the law and order situation in Bengal, CPM leader Brinda Karat made it clear the state government wanted a say in the appointment of the next governor.
“The Centre should ask state governments before they appoint governors,” she said, refusing to answer whether she wanted an extension for the incumbent in Bengal.
Gandhi, whose term ends in December, has fallen out with the Left-led state government after criticising its handling of Nandigram and the continuing political violence in the state post the Lok Sabha election. It is no secret that the state government does not want an extension for him.
Gandhi reportedly does not want an extension, either, but Mamata Banerjee, leader of the principal opposition party in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress, which is a critical ally of the UPA, is keen on it.
The governor has reportedly submitted an extensive report on the ongoing violent clashes in Bengal between Left and Trinamool cadres, as well as the Maoist violence.
“Political clashes and killings, especially in a couple of districts of south Bengal, have turned the state into a killing field,” a source in the home ministry said.
While Gandhi remained tight-lipped after his meeting with the prime minister, sources confirmed he did not paint a flattering picture of the state government’s handling of the situation.
“It is ironic that when Gandhi was appointed governor of Bengal, he had been welcomed by the Left Front,” a source said.
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