ABP Ideas of India: Stop Being Apologetic About Religion, Jagdeep Dhankhar Says To Shashi Tharoor's Religion-Is-Personal Remark

ABP News Ideas of India: Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor discuss 'Law, Liberty, and the Limits of Democracy: A functioning anarchy or a Non-negotiable Democracy?'

Shashi Tharoor and Jagdeep Dhankhar in conversation with Vir Sanghi at ABP Ideas of India on March 26, 2022

ABP Ideas Of India: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar Friday said he is a "suffering man" in the state where everyone is "living in fear", and where the media is "non-existent" as they "don't dare to ask questions to the chief minister".

Dhankhar said while the media reports always say that he is at loggerheads with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, it is actually "the other way round". He said though he is called a "BJP man" in the state by the CM and the opposition, he has done everything only as the constitutional head of the state, and has never transgressed.        

The Bengal governor was speaking on Day Two of ABP Network's Ideas of India Summit, which started with a discussion on the topic, "Law, Liberty, and the Limits of Democracy: A functioning anarchy or a Non-negotiable Democracy?", featuring him and senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. In conversation with senior journalist Vir Sanghvi, who chaired the session, both spoke about the "idea of freedom" and the independence of institutions.     

In his opening comment, Tharoor spoke about India's pluralism and diversities that served as its foundation. He said religion is personal and it has no place in the functioning of State.

In response, Dhankhar said there is no reason why religion should not be given importance, and that it's time one stopped being apologetic about his or her religion.        

Speaking his mind, Dhankhar also poured his heart out as he narrated how he was being "sidelined" by the Mamata government. According to him, the state government, which is bound by law to report to him, does not do it. He gave instances of its finance commission, which, according to him, does not report to him regarding the disbursement of funds. He said he was made to speak at the sixth number in an assembly where he should be speaking at the first as per the protocol.

“Not once information has been given to him. Mamata Banerjee is my younger sister, and I am all for her, but she does not reflect 'mamta (love, compassion)'... I flew down to see her when she was injured some 30 years ago...,” he recalled.

In response to a question by Sanghvi who said Dhankhar is seen as a "Sanghi (a term used for people who support the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh or RSS, which is the ideological parent of BJP)", the Bengal governor said he takes command only from the Constitution of India.

He said has never been a member of the RSS, though he has enormous respect for the organisation which he called a "great think tank".

Asked to respond to the allegation that he is a "puppet" of the central government, Dhankhar said, “It is easy to make a governor of a state, which does not have the same government as that in the Centre, instant suspect and a punching bag.”      

He said it is he who is at the "suffering end", and expected "parliamentarians like Mr Tharoor" to come by his side and to put an end to his suffering as a governor of the state.

Dhankhar also spoke about the law and order situation in the state, and how it is rarely reported by the national or state media.  

"The fear quotient in the state of West Bengal is so oppressing, so painful, so indigestible...and the fourth pillar of democracy does not exist there," he said.

While Tharoor did not defend the Bengal CM, he said there is a similar allegation against the media in Delhi too, saying they don't report anything against the Narendra Modi government. 

Tharoor said the idea of India rests its power on the institutions, unlike that of Pakistan where the idea is based on religion. 

Ideas Of India | Let Us Be Stop Being Apologetic About Our Religion, Says WB Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar@ShashiTharoor @jdhankhar1 @virsanghvi

— ABP LIVE (@abplivenews) March 26, 2022

'Religion has nothing to do with the matter of the State'

As the discussion veered towards religion, Dhankhar said people should not be apologetic about it. Tharoor agreed, but said religion should have no role in matters related to the State. “I am proud of my religion, it has nothing to do with the matter of the State. One should worship as per likings,” he added. 

The MP said one of the great things about Hinduism is that there is acceptance to everthing. Quoting Swami Vivekananda, he said all religion leads to the same and one divine.

At some point during the discussion, Dhankhar spoke about his visitis to different parts of the state and said each of these places had their own people to talk about who sacrificed their lives for the country. Mentioned Khudiram Bose and Matangini Hazra among them, he many people had contributed to the freedom struggle of India but they are not talked about. 

In response, Tharoor said the freedom struggle was all about the Indian National Congress, and that right wing inclined people including the Hindu Mahasabha were collaborating with the British. He said it does not take much time to delve into text books and figure out alternative strains that were not represented by the BJP and the Jana Sangh, who were not even born then. "There was Hindu Mahasabha, and RSS, and neither of them participated in the freedom struggle. Both in different ways recommended to people how to collaborate with the British."  

WATCH | ABP Ideas Of India LIVE

ABP Network’s two-day 'Wild Stone presents Ideas of India' Summit have thought leaders from various fields — culture, sports and cinema to technology, business and politics — talk about the journey of India so far.