Basu attacks Governor for opting for voluntary power cuts

KOLKATA: Lashing out at West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi for his self-imposed power cuts at the Raj Bhavan, CPI-M patriarch Jyoti Basu on Friday said his action was not in consonance with the dignity of the post and that he was "acting like a child".
 
"His action was not in consonance with the dignity of his post. He should have consulted the state's power minister, Mrinal Banerjee, and enquired about the power situation," the veteran leader said after emerging from a state secretariat meeting.
 
"It is an act against the state (government). I am openly saying he should call the minister if he has to say anything on any matter. He should do so if he really wants any good of the state," Basu said.
 
Gandhi had voluntarily asked for two hour power-cuts at the Raj Bhavan since Wednesday to show sympathy for the Kolkatans suffering from widespread power cuts, triggering a spat with the CPI-M.

The action of Gandhi, 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.
 
On Nandigram, Basu said that the Left Front would win in the coming panchayat elections.