'I am the voice of my conscience,' says Bengal Governor after Mamata's attack

 West Bengal Governor KN Tripathi on Sunday responded to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's charge that he was speaking "in the voice of the central government" by saying he was only speaking the "voice of his conscience".

"I am the voice of my conscience," Tripathi told reporters when asked about the charges Banerjee levelled against him after he had criticised the CM over her stand on presence of army at toll plazas. Tripathi, who seemed visibly hurt with the comments made by the Chief Minister and TMC delegation, refused to say anything else and left for the venue of a book launch function in the city. "Every person should be careful while making allegations against a responsible organisation like the Army... Do not let down the Army. Do not defame the Army," Tripathi had told reporters on the sidelines of a programme yesterday.

In a repartee, the Chief Minister had said, "The Governor is speaking in the voice of the Central Government! He was not in the city for about 8 days. Before making statements, all details should have been checked. It is very unfortunate." The exchanges between Banerjee and Tripathi were triggered by the Chief Minister's objection to the presence of Army personnel at toll plazas, making her wonder if it was an "Army coup".