West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday said he is sitting at the “iconic table” from which Lord George Curzon signed the Partition of Bengal in 1905 while recording a New Year message for people of the state.
Just as his comment started being observed by many as a politically insensitive remark, Governor Dhankhar clarified with an idiom saying: “Missing the wood for the trees”, meaning the people couldn’t understand him as they were too worried about the details.
Dhankhar, however, evoked a flurry of remarks on social media for his comment, with some netizens even saying that he is “glorifying the horrific incident of partition”.
Dhankar has been a controversial political figure in West Bengal. He was earlier shown black flags and greeted with "Go Back" slogans by students for supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act, seen as discriminatory against Muslim immigrants by critics.
Dhankar made reference to the West Bengal Partition of 1905 that was announced by Lord Curzon. The partition triggered riots in the state and massive protests ultimately leading to the revival of Indian National Congress from a middle-class pressure group into a nationwide mass movement.