Dhankhar unhappy over live telecast of minister's budget

Expressing surprise that West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra's budget speech was telecast live on the TV channels but the address of the state's governor at the inaugural session of the Assembly did not find such favour, Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday wondered if some kind of "censorship" was prevailing in the state.

He termed this as "intolerance" towards the constitutional head of the state, and expressed confidence that the media will not be a "silent spectator" to such episodes.

Asked by the reporters for her reaction on Dhankhar's comments, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tersely said, she did not have anything to say on the matter.

"I have nothing to comment (on Dhankhar's tweet). The Speaker will say whatever needs to be said," she remarked.

Mitra presented the budget of the Mamata Banerjee government during the day.

Dhankhar had addressed the Assembly in the beginning of the current budget session on Friday last.

"State Finance Minister Dr Mitra's budget speech was shown live while the address of the Governor under Article 176, an important occasion, in sharp deviation to the practice was not allowed live coverage and media was kept away too. Leaving it to judgment of the people of the state !" Dhankhar said on his twitter handle.

"Is this acceptable expression of ideas? Is it not intolerance of (sic) the constitutional head ? Is it not a kind of censorship? I am sure the media and public would not be just silent spectators," he said in the micro-blogging site.

The governor, who is on a collision course with the state government on several issues, earlier had averted a showdown by not deviating from the speech prepared by the Trinamool Congress ministry for his customary address to the opening day of the ongoing session.