West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose assured BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar that the upcoming panchayat elections in the state will be free and fair. During a meeting at Raj Bhavan on Saturday, the governor said there will be a "zero tolerance" towards corruption and nobody will be allowed to take the law into their hands in the state.
"The governor ensures that he is accessible to the common man. As far as corruption is concerned, there will be a zero-tolerance policy. Nobody will be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
"Law and order will be scrupulously maintained and at the appropriate time, effective and proactive intervention will be done. Violence has no place in elections and free and fair polls will be ensured in the upcoming panchayat elections," a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan said.
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Majumdar called on Bose on a prior appointment and discussed the state of affairs in West Bengal. The BJP leader, during the meeting which lasted for nearly two hours, also alleged that "corruption was on the rise, and the law and order situation has deteriorated" in the state.
Majumdar also informed the governor that the state government "has been found wanting in the implementation of the MGNREGS, PMAY (G) and PMGSY and there are glaring irregularities and blatant corruption all around".
Notably, the state government had recently written to the Centre demanding the immediate release of funds under the PM Awas Yojana (PMAY), underlining that the state would fail to meet its March 31 deadline for building 11 lakh houses, if there is any further delay.
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The TMC-ruled West Bengal government has also been pressing for the immediate release of dues to the state under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
During the meeting, Bose also informed Majumdar that for the last two months, since taking oath as the governor of West Bengal, he has focussed on upholding the Constitution of India alongside "ensuring the rule of law and promoting the welfare of the people of Bengal".
On the issue of the amendment replacing the governor with the chief minister as chancellor of the universities is concerned, Bose, according to the statement, has told Majumdar that "it was decided to continue with the present system".
"As far as the continuation of the VCs in the universities is concerned, the Supreme Court has ordered that those selected without following UGC regulations have no eligibility to continue. That aspect will be examined in the light of law..." the governor told Majumdar.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that there is "nothing extraordinary about the meeting". When contacted over the phone, Ghosh said that Majumdar went to the Raj Bhavan to meet the governor to tender his apology for the behaviour of his party MLAs at the assembly during Bose's inaugural address for the budget session.
