Bengal Governor Convenes All-party Meeting as Post-poll Violence Continues Unabated

Tripathi has sent a letter to all prominent political parties in Bengal, urging them to attend the all-party meet at 4 PM at Raj Bhavan.

Kolkata: In the wake of post-poll violence in West Bengal, Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has convened a meeting of major political parties on Thursday. Tripathi has sent a letter to all prominent political parties in Bengal, urging them to attend the all-party meet at 4 PM at Raj Bhavan. (Also read: BJP Responds to TMC Note, Writes to Home Minister)

West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi to convene a meeting of 4 major political parties in context of reported post-poll violence in the state, tomorrow at the Rajbhavan. Partho Chatterjee (TMC), Dilip Ghosh(BJP), SK Mishra (CPIM) & SN Mitra (Congress) to attend the meeting. pic.twitter.com/6GKMTD0OPA

— ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2019

Reacting, BJP state unit chief Dilip Ghosh said this initiative should have been taken by the state government. “We welcome the decision. We have received Tripathi’s letter. We would be attending tomorrow’s meeting,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress leadership claimed it was yet to hear from the Governor. “Once we receive the letter, we would take a call on it,” said a senior TMC leader.

Raj Bhavan’s decision comes in the wake of CM Mamata Banerjee’s criticism of Tripathi for ‘exaggerating’ the number of post-poll deaths in the state.

“Ten people lost their lives due to poll-violence. While eight belonged to our party, two were of the BJP. In a recent interview with a television news channel, the Governor exaggerated the figure. We respect the Governor, but every post has constitutional limits,” the TMC chief had said after unveiling a bust of Vidyasagar at Hare School in Kolkata.

She had also announced that her government would provide compensation to the families of all the victims.

Tripathi had also gone and met Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital to apprise him with the situation in the state. “I have apprised the Prime Minister and the Home Minister about the situation in West Bengal,” the Governor had said after meeting them in North Block.

Earlier, the Home Ministry had issued an advisory to the state expressing “deep concern” over the continuing post-poll violence in the state and asked it to maintain law and order. The MHA had said that the “unabated violence” even after the Lok Sabha polls appears to be a failure on part of the state government.