West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar says 'eagerly waiting' for Kali puja celebrations at Mamata Banerjee's residence

Barasat: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who had been locked in a war of words with the state the government on various issues, on Saturday said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has invited him to her residence on Kali puja and he was “eagerly waiting” to be a part of the celebrations. [caption id=“attachment_7559491” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar. News18[/caption] Dhankhar, while inaugurating a Kali puja marquee at a club in Barasat, North 24 Parganas district, maintained that he was more than happy to have got the invitation for the puja - held every year at the chief M’s Kalighat residence since 1978. “I had written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that I and my wife wanted to be at her residence on the occasion of ‘Bhai Dooj’. The chief minister, after coming back from her North Bengal tour, wrote back inviting me and the First Lady to be a part of Kali puja at her residence. “We are very happy to get her invitation and are eagerly waiting to attend the puja. Hopefully, I don’t need to answer any other questions,” Dhankhar told reporters in Barasat. A statement issued by the Governor’s House here said that Banerjee, in her letter to Dhankhar on 24 October, clarified that ‘Bhatridwitiya’ or ‘Bhai Dooj’ was one of those occasions when she reached out to other communities to spread the message of peace and harmony. “The essence of the Indian Constitution lies in communal harmony and the issue is very close to the governor’s heart. In the nation, all of us need to work for communal harmony. The Governor would also interact on this issue with Banerjee,” it added. Incidentally, a controversy had erupted on Friday after a TMC leader, who is also the chief patron of the Barasat club, stepped down from the post over the decision to invite Dhankar. Sunil Mukherjee, the chairman of TMC-run Barasat Municipality, said he was unhappy with the club’s move as the “governor had a bias against the state government”. Dhankhar, who took oath as the governor of West Bengal on 30 July, had been at loggerheads with the TMC government over several issues - ranging from his seating arrangement at the Durga Puja carnival to security upgrade - since he rushed to Jadavpur University on 19 September to “rescue” Union minister Babul Supriyo, who was being “heckled” by a section of students.