Mamata Banerjee levels sensational allegation against WB Guv Dhankhar; calls him 'Corrupt'

Amidst the ongoing spat between West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the TMC chief on Monday, levelled a sensational accusation against the head of the state. Calling Governor Dhankhar 'corrupt,' the Bengal CM alleged that he has been named in the 1996 Jain hawala case. Drawing attention to the matter, Mamata Banerjee questioned why would Centre allow Governor Dhankhar to continue in office when he has been named in the chargesheet and the matter remains before the courts. 

Governor is a corrupt man: Mamata

Addressing a press conference on the extension of COVID-related restrictions in the state, Mamata Banerjee levelled corruption allegations against the Governor, without divulging any specific details. 

"This Governor (Jagdeep Dhankhar) was named in 1996 Jain hawala case, but they have gone to the court, cleared it from the court but again a PIL has been filed and it is not finalised. The PIL is pending. He is a corrupted man and I am sorry to say. Why will the Central government allow a Governor like this? If the Centre does not know it, then I am telling them. Check the chargesheet, was he named or not?" the Bengal CM said. 

Mamata Banerjee's allegations come amidst her seemingly never-ending spat with the Governor. The Bengal CM and Governor have been at loggerheads over a range of issues with the most recent being the post-poll violence in the state since TMC's landslide victory in the recent Assembly Elections. The Governor's office has often been critical of Mamata Banerjee's administration and its handling of the law & order situation including the rise in political violence in the run-up to the state elections. On the other hand, the TMC has accused the Governor of being 'Centre's man' in the state. 

Governor Dhankhar had earlier last month toured the state against TMC's wishes and took stock of the on-ground situation following the violence that broke out in parts of West Bengal in the aftermath of TMC's landslide victory. The Governor extensively criticised CM Mamata Banerjee's administration for failing to bring the situation under control which led to another spat between the TMC administration and the Governor. 

What is the Jain Hawala scandal? 

The hawala scam, also known as the Jain Diaries case, was a financial scandal that broke out in 1996 and included the names of several high-profile politicians. There were allegations against several politicians for laundering money through hawala brokers, in this case, the Jain brothers. An estimated amount of $18 million in bribes is said to be paid in the matter. Those accused included LK Advani, VC Shukla, Devi Lal, Sharad Yadav, Balram Jakhar and Madan Lal Khurana. However, the courts did not find any incriminating evidence against the accused and were thereby acquitted, however, CBI's probe in the matter was severely criticized.