New Delhi: In forceful and outspoken criticism of West Bengal governor C.V. Ananda Bose’s public criticism of chief minister Mamata Banerjee released in a video last week, the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir and Bihar has said it was “shameless and irresponsible”.

Satya Pal Malik said Ananda Bose has spoken in this fashion to please the Modi government in Delhi and also in imitation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who, as governor of West Bengal, had been publicly critical of Banerjee and ended up getting promoted to vice president.

Malik said Ananda Bose is hoping for similar “tarakki”.

In a 20-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Malik, who also served as governor of Goa and Meghalaya, said Ananda Bose should have been immediately removed, i.e. within 24 hours. He said Ananda Bose has diminished the authority and standing of the office of governor.

Speaking about what Ananda Bose said about Kolkata’s former commissioner of police, who he accused of “actively conniving in erasing the evidence” of the murder and rape at the R.G. Kar Hospital, adding “criminal action needs to be initiated against the commissioner of police”, Malik said that the former commissioner should take legal action for libel against the West Bengal governor.

When asked if he was himself worried that the West Bengal governor could take legal action against him for the comments he has made, Malik said he would welcome such action because it would give him a chance to say the same things in open court.

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