In a fresh round of confrontation between two constitutional functionaries in West Bengal, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar accused Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee of not providing information sought on Howrah Municipal Corporation amendment bill, while the latter claimed that assent to the bill was unnecessarily being withheld.

Claiming that this was not the first such instance, the Governor said that he is yet to receive information sought from the Speaker on other issues, too, since 2019.

“It is most unfortunate that the speaker of the Assembly continues to ignore the Constitution and sense of propriety,” Mr. Dhankhar said after visiting Ganesh Banerjee, brother of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, at the State-run SSKM hospital in Kolkata, where he was admitted on Sunday after complaining of chest pain.

Denying Mr. Dhankhar’s accusations, the Speaker said that full cooperation was provided whenever any information was sought for.

“The allegations that the honourable Governor has made are baseless. Whenever he has asked for anything or has made any query, we have fully cooperated with him. But he has a habit of finding flaws in everything,” Mr. Banerjee said.

He further said that the “broader aspect” of the bill should be looked into.

Mr. Dhankhar stated that he had asked for some documents with respect to Howrah Municipal Corporation amendment bill on November 24, but those are yet to be made available to him.

“At my level, there will be no delay in consideration of the bill in accordance with the Constitution,” he maintained.

Mr. Dhankhar claimed that the speaker had been “foul mouthing” the governor on multiple occasions.

“We need to work in coordination and harmony,” the Governor said.

Urging Ms. Banerjee to reflect and find a way to respond to the issues raised by him, Mr. Dhankhar said, “He thinks the governor has nothing to do with the Assembly and he is the master of the House. It is here that he is mistaken.”

He also posted a tweet on the matter “Stunned & surprised @BimanBanerjee18 stance at Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 pending consideration for want of as response @MamataOfficial to issues flagged on Nov 24. Worrisome: Speaker WBLA for over a year has not made available record in other matters,” Mr. Dhankhar wrote.