I have very good working relationship with West Bengal government, says Governor Ananda Bose

West Bengal Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose on June 17 said he has an “excellent working relationship” with the Mamata Banerjee government despite “agreements and disagreements.” Mr. Bose said there have been discussions between him and the state government on sensitive issues, but every time they were held “respecting each other’s turf”.

West Bengal Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose on June 17 said he has an "excellent working relationship" with the Mamata Banerjee government despite "agreements and disagreements." Mr. Bose said there have been discussions between him and the state government on sensitive issues, but every time they were held "respecting each other's turf".

In an interview with PTI at the Raj Bhavan, Mr. Bose said his primary goal is the welfare of West Bengal’s people and he never faced any hurdles from the state government.

“I have a very good working relationship with the state government. There can be agreements and disagreements. There can also be divergence of interests and priorities. That’s what keeps the government going. We discuss sensitive issues but always maintain the ‘Lakshman Rekha’ and never try to redraw it,” Mr. Bose said.

The ‘Lakshman Rekha’, as depicted in the Ramayana, is a line drawn by Lakshman around their dwelling where he was staying with his elder brother Rama and sister-in-law Sita in the Panchavati forest. Lakshman had drawn the line to protect Sita when he had gone out to look for Rama in the forest.

The Governor described Ms. Banerjee as his "Constitutional colleague" and said both should work together for the well-being of the people.

“We are constitutional colleagues and not in the game of assessing each other. We have to give good governance. That’s what I am trying to do and I haven’t faced any obstacles so far,” he said.

On July 8 panchayat polls, Mr. Bose said, “Just because there are some lawbreakers, people should not shy away from asserting their democratic rights. The lawbreakers have to be brought to book. Timely action against violence is needed,” he said.