The standoff between the West Bengal government and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar took an ugly turn on Thursday when the latter arrived at the State Assembly to find the gates of the House closed.

After standing for some time before the locked gate, which is customarily opened when a Governor visits the Assembly during his addresses or on other special occasions, Mr. Dhankhar entered the House through another gate and found the Speaker of the Assembly, Biman Banerjee, and other senior members of the House missing. The ongoing session of the House had been suspended on Wednesday and Thursday. The Governor said his visit to the House was on the invitation of the Speaker, who had asked him to come for lunch, an invitation that was later cancelled.

“The Assembly not being in session does not mean that the Assembly is closed. The entire Secretariat has to be kept open,” the Governor said.

“Today your action has brought shame to the legislature… It is a painful moment in my life and in the Parliamentary history of West Bengal,” Mr. Dhankhar said, adding that he will write to the Speaker on the developments.

“I am not the one humiliated, democracy is being humiliated. They are caging democracy,” the Governor said.

Special discount offer on The Hindu subscription only for Today’s paper readers

Already have an account ? Sign in

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Support The Hindu's new online experience.