A/ Unfortunately, the police and administration in West Bengal are heavily politicised and are virtually an extension of the ruling dispensation. Governance has been distanced from constitutional parameters and the rule of law. The situation is so alarming, like in the example you have given, that political and even human rights activities are permissible only if one has bonhomie with the ruling party.
Q/ You have met Home Minister Amit Shah three times since becoming governor. Did you tell him about these observations?
A/ Yes, as governor, [I have to] regularly give inputs to the Central government; the details cannot be shared in the public domain.
Q/BJP president J.P. Nadda's convoy was attacked in Diamond Harbour. You summoned the officers. Did they satisfy your queries?
A/ The incident was unfortunate. That it happened in spite of my warning to the chief secretary and the DGP several hours prior to it is worrisome. Such an act is antithetical to democratic governance. It points towards total lawlessness and anarchy.
Q/So you had the input prior to the event.
A/ I have repeatedly cautioned the police and the administration that public servants cannot engage in political activity and, if they do so there will be severe consequences, apart from their conduct being criminally culpable. Both the chief secretary and the DGP called on me on the day of the incident, but failed to impart any details. Such emasculation of top bureaucrats is a threat to the democratic process and points to the fact that public servants are political workers paid by the exchequer.
Q/ Are these instances of the constitutional machinery collapsing?
Denne historien er fra January 03, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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Denne historien er fra January 03, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
