The West Bengal unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday criticised Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar for sharing pictures of ailing party veteran and former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.
“While we at CPI (M) West Bengal appreciate Jagdeep Dhankhar’s (Governor of West Bengal) genuflection of visiting our ex-CM Comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharya at his residence to inquire after his health, we are deeply hurt by the pictures that were taken during your visit & shared by you,” the party said in a tweet.
It said that taking his picture when he was the “most vulnerable” not only hurt those sympathising with the party but also the public as a whole. “Bhattacharya is an internationally known and commended politician who has served our State for decades with dedication,” the party wrote. “His contribution to the development of WB is acknowledged even by his political opponents. He is one of most loved CMs & treasured by his comrades.”
The party requested the governor to take the photos down. However, as of 3 pm on Monday, the pictures were still up on the governor’s official Twitter handle. The pictures were uploaded on the night of October 24.
“Alongwith Mrs Sudesh Dhankhar today called on veteran communist leader and former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and his wife Meera ji and wished them subhoy Asthami and good health,” Dhankhar wrote, along with the pictures, where the former chief minister can be seen lying on the bed. Bhattacharjee has been suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) for some time, according to PTI.
CPI(M) Legislature Party leader Sujan Chakraborty asked if there was any need to upload the pictures on Twitter. “We had protested the sharing of photos of ailing actor Soumitra Chatterjee,” he said. “We also strongly protest the uploading of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s photos. This is unethical.”
Bhattacharjee was the chief minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011. He had stepped down from the CPI (M)’s politburo, central committee and state secretariat in 2018.
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