Bengal CM Mamata is like my sister, my personal relationship with her is very deep: Governor

Jaipur, Mar 25: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has been critical about West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Friday said that he shares a deep relationship with her like a brother.

"People may not have knowledge but my personal relationship with the chief minister is very deep, of brother and sister. Our dialogue is continuing," news agency PTI quoted him as saying. He made his remark while talking about a recent controversy over summoning the West Bengal state Assembly at 2 am on March 7, the timing of which was changed to 2 pm after a fresh cabinet proposal.

He was speaking at the event on "Role of Governors and MLAs in Furtherance of Democracy", organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's Rajasthan chapter in the state Assembly building.

In lighter vein, Dhankhar said, "I mean to say that I have to act as a friend, guide and philosopher of the government. My biggest witness is Mamataji. The CM's status in democracy is very huge, behind the CM is the sanction of people. This mandate is huge," the Governor said.

"I tell her, I appreciate you represent the mandate of nine crore people. In the politics of India, the prime minister and the chief minister are supreme but I said, give at least some space to me," Dhankhar said.

Dhankhar further said that he is not a "proactive governor" but a "copybook governor", who believes in the rule of law. "I am a copybook governor. I believe in the rule of law. I will not violate constitutional dignity under any circumstances at the behest of anyone," he said.

Dhankhar and Mamata have been at loggerheads ever since his appointment in July 2019.