Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday verbally confronted Governor CV Ananda Bose as a band of Kolkata police was stopped from entering Raj Bhawan premises to perform on the occasion of Republic Day. Instead of them, the BSF performed inside Raj Bhawan premises.
Months ago, the Raj Bhawan had decided not to allow Kolkata police to look after the premises’ security. Instead, Central forces were deployed at Raj Bhawan.
Banerjee arrived at the venue around 4 pm and noticed the Kolkata Police band being made to wait at the gates. When she asked what it was about, she was told they were unable to join the event. She walked up along with cabinet colleague and city mayor Firhad Hakim to directly engage with Raj Bhawan officials. Being informed about this development, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, Home Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, DGP Rajeev Kumar, and others in the Nabanna top brass rushed to the spot.
According to an official source, the Trinamool Congress chief told them that as the Chief Minister and the Home Minister of the state, she was personally taking affront at this “treatment being meted out” by Raj Bhawan to the police force.
“She also underscored that law and order was a state subject in the Constitution, and that every Raj Bhavan need is taken care of by the state government, so such behaviour was completely unacceptable… more so after they were asked to show up at the gubernatorial residence, otherwise why would they be there at all?” said the source. “Team Raj Bhawan claimed it was a case of miscommunication or a snag in coordination, and there was no intention to exclude the band.”
After the Chief Minister’s intervention, the band was allowed to hold their performance inside of the Raj Bhawan. When the governor came out with his spouse to welcome the chief minister, it was heard that she said, “This is not done, you can’t make the prestigious Kolkata Police band stand outside.”
Later, interacting with mediapersons at the venue, Mamata said: “We have no objection to other bands performing, but trying to exclude the Kolkata Police band was uncalled for…. Every year, traditionally, the Kolkata Police band performs in this programme. Why were they not even being allowed in this time?”