West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose, left, with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, at state Legislative Assembly, in Kolkata. (PTI Photo)
KOLKATA: Bucking the trend set by governors of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose avoided a confrontation with the elected govt over his inaugural address of the budget session of assembly. Although he delivered a truncated four-and-half-minute speech, he scaled down the pitch that had previously put the state govt and Raj Bhavan at loggerheads over multiple issues.Bose read out portions of the address highlighting law and order, including references to Kolkata being among the safest cities in the country. In a rare display of cordiality, he was even seen briefly holding hands and speaking with CM Mamata Banerjee after his address, prompting BJP legislators to sarcastically comment “well done”, as he exited the House.During a heated discussion that followed the governor’s address, there were fiery exchanges between the CM and leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari. Hitting out at BJP, Banerjee said: “We will win in court and we will win the vote as well. Don’t even imagine winning Bengal. You are already in trouble in Delhi. Everyone can see the condition of the so-called double-engine govt. You were zero, you are zero and you will remain zero. Stay well, stay healthy, but remember you will lose many seats.”Her remarks came amid repeated interruptions and counter-allegations from Adhikari, who said Bose deliberately curtailed his address to avoid reading out sections critical of the Union govt. The leader of opposition claimed the governor read the speech for barely 4.5 minutes and stopped before reaching references such as ‘Ghatal Master Plan’.Responding to the charge, Banerjee said it was part of the legislative convention for the governor to read the opening portions of the address and formally lay the document in the House. Looking directly at Adhikari, she added: “People will point at you and say — you don’t know anything at all. Just keep watching; many will lose their seats this time.”The governors of the three opposition-governed southern states had earlier stoked a controversy by refusing to stick to the speech documents provided by respective state govts and even walking out of the House before completing their address.Meanwhile, the assembly saw sharp political sparring over a proposed discussion on SIR of electoral rolls after speaker Biman Banerjee ruled out a debate on the issue, noting that the matter was pending before SC. TMC had sought a discussion on SIR, arguing it had caused widespread harassment of voters ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.
