Bengal parties slam renaming of Raj Bhavan, question necessity of retaining governors

Kolkata, Nov 30 (PTI) A day after West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose renamed Raj Bhavan as Lok Bhavan following the Centre’s directive, political parties on Sunday questioned the need to continue with the gubernatorial system so many years after Independence.

Bose and the BJP defended the move, asserting that ‘Rajtantra’ (monarchy) no longer exists in India and people are supreme in ‘Loktantra’ (democracy).

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on November 25, Raj Niwases – residences of lieutenant governors in Union Territories – and Raj Bhavans across the country are to be renamed Lok Niwases and Lok Bhavans, respectively.

On Saturday, Bose officially renamed the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, constructed between 1799 and 1803 during British rule, as Lok Bhavan. He also removed marble plaques bearing the old name from the gates and replaced them with ones reflecting the change in nomenclature.

Opposition parties criticised the central government for the move, and suggested, in jest, that now governors should also be elected, in consistency with the new name of their houses.

Senior Congress leader and former MP Pradip Bhattacharjee, when contacted by PTI, said the Raj Bhavan and the Rajyapal (Governor) are synonymous.

“The pertinent question is if the Raj Bhavan is Lok Bhavan, meaning the People's Bhavan, then why shouldn't the Governor be an elected one, like the President. The Governor, or if he is now called the Loknayak, should be elected through voting by members of the state assembly,” he said.

This is a peculiar move, and it is quite unfortunate that the central government seems to have a low IQ, the former state Congress president said.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh questioned why the decision was taken just months before the assembly elections in West Bengal.

"Raj Bhavan is now People's Bhavan. Why has this initiative been launched first in West Bengal, when the notification was meant for the whole country? Is this being done with the 2026 elections in mind? Does the Governor intend to run a parallel administration?" Ghosh asked.

Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty claimed that the renaming was merely an exercise in "advertisement".

"There is no logic in keeping the Raj Bhavan now. The Raj Bhavan works as an agency of the central government. It's like keeping a white elephant. The question is, why not rename the Rajyapal as 'Lokpal'? The name change is nothing but an attempt to remain in the news," Chakraborty said.

Responding to the criticism, Bose said the decision was rooted in democratic principles.

"In a democracy, people are supreme, and no political party is above the people. The people of the state welcomed the development. The politics of Bengal should not go against the will of the people of Bengal," he said.

The governor said the initiative originated in Bengal two years ago, when President Droupadi Murmu handed over the symbolic key of 'Jan Raj Bhavan' to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Governor's request. He said the step has since become a "national model".

Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha said that since there was no longer 'Rajtantra', there was no need to continue with the name Raj Bhavan.

"This is an appropriate move, and we should all welcome it. Raj Bhavan should be the people's house and not that of the kings," said Sinha, a former state BJP president. PTI SCH NN