Bengal Guv cancels US trip at last moment citing pressure on state exchequer

Kolkata : West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Monday cancelled his overseas trip at the last moment, claiming that the tour will put additional pressure on the state exchequer.

A statement issued by the Raj Bhavan said that the Governor has taken the decision because of the cash-strapped state exchequer as well as the alarming dengue situation in the West Bengal.

The Governor was supposed to leave for New Delhi on Monday night from where he was supposed to fly to the US on Wednesday to attend a programme on 'Global Culture' from September 29 to October 1, besides attending some other programmes there.

The Governors of some other states are also supposed to attend the programme. Raj Bhavan insiders explained that although the organisers of the event in the US proposed to bear the expenses of the Governor’s trip, Bose refused that since protocol does not allow him to accept such hospitality.

“In that case, the cost for his overseas trip would have to be borne by the state exchequer, which the Governor didn't agree to,” said a Raj Bhavan insider. The last moment cancellation of Bose’s overseas trip has sparked speculation in the political circles of the state.

Political observers feel that cancelling the trip citing the cash-strapped state exchequer is a subtle message on part of the Governor about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent overseas trip to Spain and Dubai to scout for investments in the state, which is already in the midst of a controversy over the huge expenditure incurred over it, as well as its outcome.

The leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has filed a petition under the Right to Information Act, 2005 seeking to know the amount spent for the Chief Minister’s trip. Adhikari has also sought information on the outcome of the trip and the actual achievements in roping in investment for the state.