Bengal’s Raj Bhavan opens doors to commoners

Kolkata, Mar 29 (PTI) In a historic move, the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata has thrown open its doors to the common people, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Governor C V Ananda Bose handed over a symbolic key of the Raj Bhavan to President Droupadi Murmu, who passed it on to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a dinner hosted on Monday evening, he said.

However, the date of opening of the governor’s official residence for the common people and the daily timing is yet to be known.

The Raj Bhavan will soon start a ‘heritage walk’ on the premises, a statement issued by the governor’s resident said.

“On Monday, Governor Bose hosted a dinner at the Raj Bhavan in honour of the President where the Chief Minister was also present. The President then handed over a symbolic key to her.

“The key signified the concept of Jan Raj Bhavan in place of Raj Bhavan being an exclusive seat of power as conceived by the colonialists,” it said, adding Bose had earlier handed over the key to Murmu.

The governor also presented a coffee table book — ‘100 days & Beyond’ — to Murmu to mark her maiden visit to West Bengal as the President.

The book, published by the Raj Bhavan, showcases the various events attended by Bose in the first 100 days of assuming the office of the governor of West Bengal.