‘Rotten Apple’ to ‘Uncle Ji’, Verbal Duel Intensifies Between TMC’s Mahua Moitra and Bengal Governor

The war of words between West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and firebrand TMC lawmaker Mahua Moitra escalated on Saturday with the former hitting back at the Lok Sabha MP’s ‘rotten apple’ jibe.

Taking to Twitter, the governor said Moitra had make the remarks to “curry the favour” of party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

“After being in firing line for letting CORRUPTION CAT out by revealing HYDRA HEADED CORRUPTION in panchayats- now trying to curry favour @MamataOfficial by taking on Governor,” he tweeted.

Quick to retort, Moitra referred to Dhankar as “uncle ji”, saying he should keep the dignity of the Raj Bhavan while in office.

The tweet that triggered the war of words was posted by Moitra on June 12 in which she referred to the governor as a “rotten apple” and accused him of doing the BJP’s bidding.

Her tweet was in reaction to Dhankar expressing anguish over a video purportedly showing the bodies of Covid-19 victims being disposed of in a disrespectful manner. The video was later declared to be “fake” by the police, who claimed the dead bodies were not of Covid-19 patients and that they were unclaimed and unidentified bodies from the hospital morgue.

As the video went viral on social media, the governor sought urgent briefing from Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) chairperson and municipal commissioner on Friday.

In a series of tweets, Dhankhar wrote, “Anguished! Share public outrage and deep concern at most unconscionable heart rendering callous dragging of dead bodies reflected in videos. Shocked at state of affairs @MamataOfficial.”

“Issue is not whether the dead bodies were Covid ones! That is matter of probe. Issue-How human bodies can be so shamelessly dragged! Being treated worse than animals. To those engaging in diversion – Search your soul and conscience and imagine dead body was related to you!” his next tweet read.

Later, principal of NRS Medical College and Hospital Professor Saibal Kumar Mukherjee also said the bodies in the video are ‘unclaimed’ and not of Covid-19 deaths.

Writing to the Kolkata Police Commissioner of Police, he said, “This has come to the notice of the undersigned that a video clip has gone viral in social media showing bodies being disposed from NRS morgue and the video has claimed that these are bodies of Covid patients, being disposed furtively. The fact is 14 numbers of unclaimed bodies were being handed over to KMC authority as per list given by different police stations of our morgue’s jurisdiction and none of these dead bodies were of Covid patients. The subject of the video is fake and you may please take necessary in this regard.”

The KMC commissioner met the Governor and briefed him about the facts on Saturday.