Kolkata: Bengal governor C V Ananda Bose on Monday led a team of security personnel and sniffer dogs in a "search operation" at Raj Bhavan following allegations by Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee that "arms and ammunition were stacked within its premises".
Banerjee dismissed the exercise as "child's play".
"Governor Bose led the team of personnel, comprising Kolkata Police officers and central forces, the bomb squad and dog squad, to find out whether there are arms and ammunition stacked inside," said officials at Raj Bhavan.
Bose, who was on a trip to north Bengal, cut that short to spearhead the operation, which started from the ground floor of Raj Bhavan around 2.15pm, an official said.
"There was also deployment of personnel at Raj Bhavan Police Outpost. Officials of the disaster management & civil defence departments also participated in the search," he added.
The Raj Bhavan premise was evacuated and members of civil society and journalists were allowed to accompany Bose during the exercise, which was "live-streamed".
Banerjee continued his attack against Bose. "Tell me, why would anyone call police unless they have cleaned up the place? These are all child's play.
He (the governor) would not have to resort to such antics if he only followed the Constitution in letter and spirit. We would have told him what is right or wrong. Actually, he has fallen in his appraisal sheet (among other governors) before the Union home minister. He is desperate to make amends.
Let him complain against me in Lok Sabha. That would allow us to discuss the role of the governor in Parliament, else we are barred from doing it.
And why bomb squad? I think he should have called the FBI for the search," he said.
Earlier, after "nothing surfaced following the search and combing operations", Bose interacted with the media and threatened strong action against Banerjee as per legal provisions for his "baseless allegations", which reportedly "tarnished the profile of the chair of governor".
"Floating baseless allegations against the governor has become a trend in Bengal.
But now I have decided to take strong action against such baseless allegations. Hence, steps under existing legal provisions will be taken in this case as well," Bose said.
Asked if his office would seek the intervention of the Lok Sabha secretariat in the matter, since Banerjee is an MP, Bose said all necessary actions would be initiated at the right time. Bose did not specify whether he discussed the matter with CM Mamata Banerjee. "Any conversation between me and my constitutional colleague should be kept confidential," he said.
Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari said he asked the governor to ignore Banerjee's irrelevant claims.