CM Mamata Banerjee-র সঙ্গে কেমন সম্পর্ক রাজ্যপালের? Oneindia-কে জানালেন C.V. Ananda Bose

Oneindia Bengali

CM Mamata Banerjee-র সঙ্গে কেমন সম্পর্ক রাজ্যপালের? Oneindia-কে জানালেন C.V. Ananda Bose  ~ED.2~

Transcript

00:00In my conception, the front face of government is the elected chief minister, not the nominated governor.

00:06I'm also a devout person who believes in the traditions and heritage of India.

00:13In my opinion, it is a mukti kumbh, not murthi kumbh.

00:19So I'm trying to find solutions to problems, not problems in solutions.

00:27See, behind every file, there is a human life, there is a human emotion.

00:33A governor's job is not an ornament.

00:36Governor's job is to be with the people, help the people.

00:40Make Bengal violence-free, corruption-free.

00:46We have the pleasure of having Honorable West Bengal Governor Sri C. V. Ananda Bose with us, with One India right now.

00:54Thank you for joining with us, sir.

00:56As the governor of West Bengal, you have been always at loggerheads with CM Mamata Banerjee, in between.

01:03Often, you have been at loggerheads with the CM.

01:06How do you manage that political pressure? How do you manage the equation with the CM?

01:13See, when I first went there, there was this snake and mongoose game between the then Governor and the Chief Minister.

01:26I tried to change the game to Tom and Jerry.

01:30Who is Tom, who is Jerry? That game alternated between us.

01:35At times, it is also snake and ladder. Somebody will go deep down, will come up.

01:42This seesaw battle was going on.

01:46But there was an underlying appreciation for each other.

01:51I came without any prejudice.

01:54When I joined there, so many leaders told me, and I also knew from the media,

02:02that Bengal CM Mamata is a difficult person to deal with.

02:07But then, I have had interaction with many difficult persons even before.

02:14If one is difficult, you cease to be difficult. Things will settle down.

02:19We started off with a very, very mutual mode of mutual appreciation.

02:26We made it very clear also.

02:28I also told, the CM told me, that is Mamata told me,

02:33Governor Sir, I have read a lot about you. I heard a lot about you.

02:39I know that you are an impartial person.

02:42I would like to continue this thing.

02:46I also said, you are the elected Chief Minister.

02:49In my conception, the front face of government is the elected Chief Minister, not the nominated Governor.

02:55I will always remain in the background.

02:58I will only facilitate your job as the Chief Minister.

03:02I am not here to create any problems for you.

03:05I think we expressed these sentiments in the beginning itself.

03:09So the beginning was good.

03:11Then, we also started conveying our opinions on WhatsApp, encrypted WhatsApp.

03:20So that you know, public statements are public statements.

03:24Public statements are politically oriented.

03:28I, as a Governor, I try to keep off politics.

03:32A political leader can always say whatever she or he wants, even about the Governor.

03:39I should not take it on a personal plane.

03:42When there were some such areas, the gay areas,

03:45she would explain to me, what is behind the political statements that you are making.

03:51Though it was an initial discomfiture for me, I could understand that.

03:55Why in that context such a statement is made?

03:57But we had an understanding that, you know, how give and take, mutual respect.

04:02Then at the time of election, then in every political party we will try any game in their advantage.

04:11There, of course, I was criticized very, very badly,

04:14very, even hurting my self-respect and reputation.

04:18Then I sued the Chief Minister for defamation.

04:25The court ordered, don't speak such things about the Governor.

04:30That order still remains.

04:32That is only for a brief period.

04:35Then the CM herself told me,

04:38Sir, I want to come and meet you.

04:40I said, you are always welcome.

04:43She came, she met me, for one hour she was with me.

04:47I don't want to come in the public domain of what we talked.

04:52But she came with olive branch.

04:57I accepted it.

04:59Now it is again, we are moving on mutual respect and understanding.

05:05And I was also told,

05:08even though we criticized you,

05:11we know that you are a gentleman.

05:14She told the press also.

05:16We know that.

05:17And in the last two years,

05:19you have not done any political game.

05:22That also we know.

05:23But we took some stance against you because of political reasons.

05:27The latest one was Kumbh Mela.

05:30I went to Kumbh Mela

05:33because I was invited by the UP Chief Minister.

05:37So I went there.

05:39And also, I am also a devout person who believes in the traditions

05:44and heritage of India.

05:48For me, it was a very pleasant and very positive experience which I had there.

05:54But as Chief Minister, I made a statement

05:57that it is a Mrityu Kumbh.

06:02I said that Chief Minister as a political leader

06:05has every right to make comments or make her own analysis on anything that happens in the country.

06:12I respect it.

06:13I may not share her views,

06:14but I respect her freedom to say that.

06:17In my opinion,

06:19it is a Mukti Kumbh,

06:22not Mrityu Kumbh.

06:24Or it's a Mrityunjaya Kumbh.

06:27I said, 52 crores

06:30treat it as Mukti Kumbh.

06:33Here is one leader who treats it as Mrityu Kumbh.

06:36So it's 52 crores against one.

06:38Let it remain there.

06:40I have no comments on that.

06:42So I'm trying to find solutions to problems.

06:48Not problems in solutions.

06:51Even as a part of Indian Administrative Service and now as a Governor,

06:56you have to always convince CMs and Ministers and all.

07:00Not as a Governor, of course.

07:02But always there is a confusion or there is a clash of opinion,

07:06there is a difference of opinion with the governments.

07:10Even now you have to be at loggerheads with the Governor.

07:14And when you were a part of IAS,

07:17you took extra effort to convince Ministers

07:21over different projects and all.

07:23How do you manage this power struggle?

07:26You know, the basic principles

07:29on which the IAS is based

07:32is objectivity, neutrality.

07:35If you remain objective,

07:38if you remain politically neutral,

07:41then it will be possible to convince the Ministers.

07:44In every file which I have handled,

07:47I always give the pros and cons of it.

07:50Then leave it to the Minister to decide which one he wants.

07:53Pros and cons will be there.

07:55Even if a decision is taken,

07:58which is beyond law,

08:00I'll point it out.

08:02You point it out in person.

08:07Don't criticize the Minister in front of others.

08:11Don't try to belittle him.

08:14I have been able to manage this throughout my career.

08:18Especially when I was handling a sensitive position

08:21as a Secretary to the Chief Minister of Kerala.

08:24You know, in his own party,

08:26there were different groups.

08:28Then the opposition is there.

08:30I had no difficulties in handling any of them.

08:33We have to have established our credibility

08:36for objectivity and neutrality.

08:38And secondly,

08:40we should study the files very deeply.

08:43See, behind every file,

08:45there is a human life.

08:47There is a human emotion

08:49which cannot be ignored.

08:51The small problems should be given

08:54big attention.

08:56I have always been trying to do that.

08:58I have been with the people.

09:00That also affects the politicians.

09:02Your credibility

09:04will also judge you by that.

09:07Then of course,

09:09you know,

09:11as a matter of principle,

09:13everything is not political interference.

09:17There is political interference

09:20and political action.

09:22If an MLA or an MP

09:25comes and meets the District Collector

09:28or tries to put some pressures to get the

09:30government policies and programs implemented properly,

09:33that is political intervention.

09:35It's not political interference.

09:37Interference is different.

09:39We should understand that

09:41empathy should be there.

09:43And secondly,

09:45I don't listen to recommendations or pressures.

09:48But I always respect the right of the politicians

09:52to bring to your notice

09:54whatever they want.

09:56If you can do it, do it.

09:58If you cannot do it,

10:00explain it very politely that this is why it cannot be done.

10:02First politicians are satisfied with that.

10:04Then some of them are haughty,

10:06some of them are arrogant.

10:08Well, there are ways of dealing with them.

10:10Rather than being a passive governor,

10:14as you yourself have said,

10:16rather than being in a ceremonial post of a governor,

10:21you have started to do so many things

10:24as a West Bengal governor.

10:26For example, you have opened the gates of Rajbhavan to media.

10:30You have started a peace room during election violence in Bengal.

10:35You have started to make a cultural bridge

10:38between Bengal and Kerala and other states.

10:41So, what prompted you to act

10:45in a way that most of the governors in our country are not doing?

10:49You have started some initiatives.

10:51You are doing. You are doing things.

10:54See, I respect all the governors.

10:56They are all doing things in their own way.

11:00As far as I am concerned,

11:02I would like to be people-centric.

11:05A governor's job is not an ornament.

11:09Governor's job is to be with the people, help the people.

11:14So, when we take the oath,

11:16the first part says,

11:18I will defend the constitution of India.

11:20The second part is, I will work for the welfare and well-being

11:24of the people of the state.

11:26Naturally, your concern should be for the people.

11:30So, I always try to go out

11:34with outreach programs to the people.

11:36Now, the flagship project is

11:40Amargram, that means my village.

11:43I go from village to village, stay with them,

11:47especially forest villages,

11:50villages dominated by tribals.

11:52Spend time with them. The whole day we spent time with them.

11:55Listen to their grievances and try to solve their problems.

11:58You see, this time,

12:01for the first time in the history of that Rajpavan,

12:05the tribal family were the distinguished guests

12:08for the Republic Day.

12:10They said, we have never seen a Rajpavan.

12:13See, and then,

12:15when anything happens,

12:17atrocities, violence,

12:20or, you know, disasters,

12:23train accident, for instance.

12:25When the train accident took place,

12:27where a lot of people died from Bengal,

12:29there was one family

12:31which lost three of her sons.

12:33Mother lost three of her sons.

12:35I didn't go to the main places

12:38where the accident took place.

12:40I went to their house.

12:42It was deep inside Sundarbans.

12:44I also go there

12:47with some financial assistance

12:49for those who want it.

12:51And then,

12:53when violence takes place,

12:55if I have the information earlier,

12:57I go there to prevent the violence.

12:59After violence has taken place,

13:01I go to the hospital

13:03to meet the people who are hospitalized.

13:05I also go to their houses

13:07where people are killed.

13:09Try to consult them, try to help them.

13:11Then,

13:13anybody can

13:15talk to the governor anytime.

13:18Peace room is for 24x7.

13:21There are people to attend the telephone calls.

13:23If anybody is keen on talking to the governor directly,

13:26I pick up the phone.

13:28One instance,

13:30I get a call at midnight,

13:3412.30 or so.

13:36One man told me,

13:38Sir, I am from Darjeeling.

13:40Some gundas have

13:42surrounded my house

13:44with bombs.

13:46Then, nothing was heard.

13:48I didn't know what exactly happened.

13:50So, I told the police.

13:52They located the house.

13:54They went there.

13:56They drove away the hooligans.

13:58The next day,

14:00this young man comes with his wife and child

14:02and told me,

14:04Sir, but for your interference,

14:06my head would not have been on me now.

14:08See, this kind of accessibility,

14:10see,

14:12governor should be accessible.

14:14I try to be accessible to the public.

14:16That gives me a lot of

14:18satisfaction.

14:20Even as an

14:22administrative officer,

14:24you have done

14:26so many projects in Kerala,

14:28especially DTPC,

14:30Nirmithi.

14:32All these initiatives taken by you

14:34had such a

14:36huge impact

14:38in Kerala, even now.

14:40It has created that impact.

14:42So, as a governor,

14:44as an administrative officer,

14:46as you said right now, you are always people-centric.

14:48What will be your next movement or next idea

14:50that you are going to implement

14:52in Bengal?

14:54I want to continue my campaign

14:56and use my

14:58good offices as governor

15:00for two things.

15:02Make Bengal

15:04violence-free,

15:06corruption-free.

15:08The two cankers

15:10that are eating the body politics there

15:12are violence and corruption.

15:14I think as governor,

15:16there is quite a bit

15:18which can be done.

15:20By these field visits and intervention

15:22against violence

15:24in the field,

15:26quite a lot of improvement is there.

15:28For instance, in the last

15:30election,

15:32the media reported

15:34prior to that

15:36there were about 120

15:38deaths election time.

15:40This time it is only 36 or so.

15:42They attributed it to the

15:44intervention of the governor.

15:46So, such activities I will continue.

15:48Thank you, sir.

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