It was my conscious decision to resign as Bengal Guv: CV Ananada Bose
Kolkata (PTI): Former West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday said his resignation was a "conscious decision" and asserted that the reasons for his exit will remain confidential till the right time comes.
Comparing his three-and-a-half-year tenure in office to a game of cricket, Bose, in a tangential reference to the cause of his exit, said the rules of the game include the knowledge of when it is supposed to end.
Speaking to reporters at the Kolkata airport following his return from Delhi, Bose said that he had tendered his resignation from the city before leaving for the national capital.
"I spent over 1200 days in office. That's equivalent to scoring 12 centuries on the cricket field. The rules of the game include knowing when it ends," the former governor said.
"I took a conscious decision to put in my papers, the reasons of which will remain confidential till the right time arrives. I was given enough opportunity to decide for myself what the right time to quit should be. I knew the day I assumed the office that time would come when I would have to vacate it," Bose added, rebutting suggestions that his exit was sudden and abrupt.
Speaking about the governor reshuffle, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had alleged on Saturday that Bose was forced to quit in the face of threats from the BJP top brass.
"I know what led to the sudden exit of the governor. He was threatened. Not everyone will allow the Raj Bhavan to be converted into BJPs' party office. They used the space for money distribution, throwing all Constitutional propriety to the winds," the TMC supremo had said.
Asked for a response, Bose said it would be "inappropriate" for a departing governor to speak on the matter under "current circumstances".
On the angst expressed by President Droupadi Murmu on alleged protocol violations during her visit to West Bengal a day ago and tribal "deprivation" in the state, Bose avoided a direct response.
"The President is very experienced, balanced and an extremely dignified person. She must have had her reasons for saying what she said. But I am no one to comment on what the President said," he added.
Bose said he would vacate the Lok Bhavan premises, latest by Monday.
"It's only natural that when someone new enters office, its previous occupant should exit," he said.
Calling himself a "proud voter of Bengal", Bose said he would return to Bengal to cast his vote during the state elections.
Bose, a native of Kerala, had shifted his voting base to Bengal barely a week before tendering resignation from his office.
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Surjewala slams Pratap Simha’s ‘vile’ remarks on CM Siddaramaiah, demands apology from BJP
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the BJP over alleged disparaging remarks made by former Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during an assembly bypoll campaign in Bagalkote.
Simha made the remarks while campaigning for BJP candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath, triggering a political row ahead of the by-elections scheduled for April 9.
Congress has fielded Umesh Meti, son of former MLA late M Y Meti, whose death necessitated the bye-election.
"Pratap Simha's vile remarks about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bagalkot have exposed the BJP's despicable politics once again," Surjewala said in a social media post.
Alleging a larger political design, he added, "It is increasingly evident that Pratap Simha’s outburst is driven by desperation," and accused the BJP of using such remarks to target backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and minorities.
The Rajya Sabha member further claimed that the incident reflects a pattern within the party. "This is not one man's madness—it is the BJP’s political culture," he said, adding that the remarks were aimed at "denigrating leaders from marginalised communities".
Referring to past incidents, Surjewala said, "CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar have received death threats in the past, including one from BJP leaders who warned that their bodies would be stuffed into a refrigerator."
The Congress leader also criticised the BJP’s bypoll campaign strategy, alleging "internal contradictions".
He pointed to the party’s use of expelled MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal in campaigning despite earlier disciplinary action against him, accusing the BJP of resorting to "abuses and indignities" against opposition leaders.
Surjewala demanded immediate action from the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, state president B Y Vijayendra, and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka.
He said they must tender a public apology to Kannadigas, particularly to OBCs, SCs, and minorities, over the remarks, and urged the party to expel Simha if it does not repudiate his statements.
Surjewala also called for legal action, demanding that an FIR be registered against Simha and that strict measures be taken.
Warning of "political consequences", he said the electorate in the bypoll-bound constituencies would respond decisively if the BJP failed to apologise, asserting that voters would "teach the BJP a befitting lesson" in the elections.
There has been no immediate reaction from the saffron party yet.
