Raj Bhavan has become RSS 'shakha': Derek O'Brien sides with Mamata

Trinamool Congress (TMC) national secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien on Tuesday backed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her remark on Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, stating that the Raj Bhavan in the state has turned into a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) "shakha."

Speaking to ANI, O'Brien said, "The Governor has used unacceptable language in his telephonic conversation with the Chief Minister. It's also very unfortunate that the Raj Bhavan in the state has been converted into a RSS shakha, almost on all bed sheet and towels we see the logo of the BJP. The governor too sounds no more like a governor anymore. His duty is to protect the constitution but he seems to be protecting and safeguarding the RSS shakha and acting like a pramukh which is completely unacceptable."

Further siding Mamata, O'Brien asserted that despite being a senior citizen, the Governor has always been like this.

"This is a democratically-elected Chief Minister. She had gone there not for the Congress, the BJP or the CPM, but for the 10 crore people of the state. This is not the first time something like this has happened and I'm sure this will not be the last time too. Despite being a senior citizen, he has always been like this. At some point we want to give him respect, but moments like these we find it difficult," O'Brien said.

"Article 155 of the Constitution clearly states that the President can oppose the Governor and Article 156 states he can remove the Governor. So after this, it's worth asking the Governor to go. It's time for him to leave!," O'Brien added.

This statement comes after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier in the day trained guns at Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi calling him 'a block president' of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Speaking at the State Secretariat in Kolkata, Mamata said, "I made it clear to him (Governor) that he cannot speak to me in such a manner, cannot threaten me. Governor telephoned me and said objectionable things. He spoke like a 'block president' of BJP".

The Chief Minister claimed that she received a call from Tripathi after a BJP delegation met him over the issue of communal violence in North 24 Parganas and said that she felt insulted the way she was treated.