It is incomprehensible to me: Dhankhar on TMC's 'outsider' charge on BJP

With the Trinamool Congress alleging that the BJP is a party of outsiders, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said such labelling was incomprehensible to him and asked those propagating the idea to read the Constitution carefully.

With the Trinamool Congress alleging that the BJP is a party of outsiders, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said such labelling was ''incomprehensible'' to him and asked those propagating the idea to read the Constitution carefully. Dhankhar told reporters here that such comments by Trinamool Congress leaders was unfortunate.

''It is incomprehensible to me, such labelling of people from other regions coming to this part of country. Describing them as outsiders. Why?'' the governor said when asked to comment on the recent instances of Trinamool Congress functionaries calling top BJP leaders as outsiders. ''In what perspective you can call people from other parts of country as outsiders,'' he wondered.

Charging that the proponents of the 'outsider' theory don't have the idea of what the Indian Constitution says on the issue, Dhankhar said, ''I would urge them to go through our Constitution carefully and thoroughly.'' The governor had earlier taken exception to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's comments on BJP national president J P Nadda after an attack on his convoy on December 10, and noted that such 'outsider' comment might have dangerous consequences. TMC MP Sougata Roy, in response, had alleged Dhankhar had spoken in the voice of the BJP and commented on every issue in a partisan manner. Dhankhar, who met former minister and new BJP entrant Suvendu Adhikari in Raj Bhavan earlier in the day, told reporters, ''I think there should not be any attack on political rivals by the state police. The police should not be influenced by political developments.'' Adhikari had earlier sent a letter to him expressing concern that ''he may be implicated in false cases by police'' after leaving the government and the ruling party.