‘Apologise Or Face Action’: Bengal Governor Warns TMC MP Over ‘Weapons In Raj Bhavan’ Claim | Politics News

Last Updated:November 16, 2025, 16:44 IST

Kalyan Banerjee accused Governor CV Ananda Bose of arming BJP criminals in Raj Bhavan, prompting Bose to demand an apology or legal action against TMC MP.

Kalyan Banerjee called Governor Bose an “incompetent governor” and a “BJP-servant governor.”

A political slugfest broke out in West Bengal after TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee claimed that Governor CV Ananda Bose was providing arms and ammunition to BJP “criminals” in Raj Bhavan. Kalyan’s allegation has drawn a sharp reaction from the latter, who said the Lok Sabha MP should either apologise or face legal action.

What’s The Allegation?

On Saturday, Governor Bose advocated for the ongoing Special Intensive Exercise (SIR) of the voters’ roll in the state, saying that it was designed to remove discrepancies and restore public confidence in the electoral system, while maintaining that the Bihar elections demonstrated broad public acceptance of the mechanism.

“If people are confused, we should convince them that SIR is a new process which is required to clean up the election process and to ensure that free and fair elections take place,” Bose had said.

Soon, Banerjee reacted to the Governor’s support for the SIR and accused him of actively aiding criminals. “First, tell the governor not to shelter the BJP’s criminals in Raj Bhavan. He is keeping offenders there, giving them guns and bombs, and telling them to attack Trinamool workers. Let him stop this first,” the MP alleged.

“As long as an incompetent governor like you remains, as long as a BJP-servant governor remains, you will never see anything good happening in West Bengal,” Banerjee added.

Raj Bhavan’s Strong Response To Banerjee

The Raj Bhavan issued a rebuttal late on Saturday and said that the gates of the Raj Bhavan would be opened from 5 am on Sunday for Banerjee, along with “up to 100 members of civil society and the media”, to visit and “verify if any arms and ammunition are stocked as alleged”.

The statement further warned that if the allegations were found to be incorrect, the MP would have the option to apologise to the people of Bengal or face prosecution for hate speech.

“Since the Kolkata Police were guarding Raj Bhavan, how could arms and ammunition be stored within its premises? The Raj Bhavan has also demanded the immediate commencement of a probe into the matter, since Kalyan Banerjee’s allegations suggest a breach of the governor’s security, who enjoys “Z plus” category security,” the office said in a statement.

Governor Bose Warns Of Legal Action

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Governor Bose said that Banerjee’s allegation was “inflammatory, explosive, and irresponsible.” He demanded an apology from the Trinamool Congress leader and warned that legal action would be taken against him.

“The allegations made by the honourable MP are highly inflammatory, explosive, and extremely irresponsible. The moment I heard them, I decided to open the Raj Bhavan for public scrutiny. Since 5 am, civil society representatives and the media have been visiting to see whether any arms or ammunition are stored here, as falsely claimed by the MP,” he said as quoted by news agency PTI.

He further took recourse to a Shakespearean verse to describe the politician’s demeanour. Bose uttered a part of one of William Shakespeare’s most famous verses from his tragedy, ‘Macbeth’, to express what he felt about the MP’s comments — “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”, an official said.

Emphasising the serious implications of such allegations, Bose said that Banerjee’s remarks undermine the credibility of the Kolkata Police, which is responsible for guarding the premises.

“There are serious implications of these allegations. When a ruling party MP says that arms and ammunition are available inside the Raj Bhavan, is he expressing his lack of confidence in the police force of the state? Does it show any kind of inner party politics?,” he added.

Meanwhile, a Raj Bhavan insider told news agency IANS that the office of the Governor was mulling all possible legal actions, including approaching the Lok Sabha Secretariat for action against Banerjee.

Banerjee Has Lost His Mental Balance: BJP

The BJP also strongly criticised the TMC MP’s remarks.

BJP MP Jaganath Sarkar said that Banerjee has lost his mental balance. “As he is a member of Parliament, action should be taken against him for such a comment,” Sarkar added.

BJP’s Agnimitra Paul, meanwhile, said, “If arms and ammunition are found inside the Raj Bhavan, it means that the TMC MP (Kalyan Banerjee) is hitting out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The security of the Raj Bhawan is with the Kolkata Police, which is under your (Mamata Banerjee’s) government.”

(With inputs from agencies)

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More

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