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Updated: Feb 22, 2020 03:56 IST

Hours after expressing satisfaction at easing of relation with the Bengal government, governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said the politics of violence and murders must end in the state in view of the coming elections. Dhankhar made the statement at Siliguri in north Bengal where he went for a day to attend a few programmes.

Dhankhar, who has been at loggerheads with the government on multiple occasions, said at a media conference that the state’s name is associated with violence and murders associated with politics and elections.

Earlier in the day, at Jalpaiguri, he said, “In the last 15-20 days my rapport with the state government has picked up. I think now we are in the proper take-off stage.”

Later, he took a jibe at state politics and said, “In the last many years, West Bengal’s name has been associated with political and election-related violence and political murders. These things should come to an end. I believe all are trying to bring this to an end.” He added that bureaucrats and policemen should act neutrally.

“It is a constructive suggestion. Our image in the entire country should be of the nature that we will have the most peaceful elections,” he told reporters in Siliguri.

Dhankhar’s statement comes at a time when preparations are being made for the civic polls. The assembly polls will be held in 2021.

HT contacted senior Trinamool Congress ministers but nobody commented on Dhankhar’s statements till 7 pm.

“For violence to end, it is necessary that one should find out the root cause of violence,” said Dhankhar. He said efforts should be made to seize illegal explosives and bomb-making factories. “There should be a curb on this through a mission so that they can’t disturb the peace in the state,” he added.

Stressing on the need to have better relations between the governor and the state government, Dhankhar said, “We need dialogue and deliberation, we need to engage, we can’t be adversaries, we can’t be fighting with each other.”