West Bengal government should apologise to Governor Jagdeep Dhankar: BJP leader Mukul Roy

BJP leader Mukul Roy has said that the West Bengal government should apologise to Governor Jagdeep Dhankar after the latter was allegedly "insulted" at a Durga Puja carnival in Kolkata in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also present.

Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday had said that he felt "humiliated, deeply pained and disturbed" after attending a Durga Puja carnival hosted last week by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, where he was not seated at the main dais and was not shown on TV "for even a second".

The Governor is said to be upset that he was seated on a different dais while the limelight was on a stage featuring Mamata Banerjee and various dignitaries at the event on Friday to showcase the top 70 community puja pandals. From the corner dais, the governor reportedly didn't have a good view either. Speaking to reporters, he complained that though he spent four hours watching the carnival from beginning to end, he was not shown even once on the multi-camera footage that was beamed out by a government-appointed agency.

"I am deeply hurt and disturbed. That insult was not to me but to the culture of West Bengal. Insult was to every person of West Bengal. They will never digest such insult being meted out to a person holding such a position. I am a servant of people and nothing will deter me. I will continue to perform my constitutional duties irrespective of the action of others," Mr Dhankar had told media persons.

Speaking to ANI, Mr Roy said, "Please note that the Governor is the constitutional head of the state and the manner in which he was treated by the state government, it is against the class and creed of Bengal. It was insulting for the state as a whole. So as a common citizen of the state, I feel that this should not be happening and the government should apologise to the Governor."