Suck on a rosogolla Tathagata Roy or get lost

Mustard or shorshe is a pungent spice dear to almost all Bengalis and used in several popular culinary dishes. But in popular belief most Bengalis are believed to have rounded tongues, used as they are to twirling rasogollas from childhood. No great imagination will be needed if one is asked to imagine a Bengali with tongue layered with a liberal dose of mustard. One has to just head towards one of the easternmost states of India - Tripura, and then peep into the Raj Bhavan there to find one such gent. Tathagata Roy, the official resident of the house by virtue of being Governor, has made a mark as a motor-mouth and spices up social media every now and then. Ironically, he is yet to be ticked off by his party.

On January 4, shortly past 11 pm by when Agartala would have seen much more of the night than other parts of India (the sun sets very early these days in north eastern India), Roy was still at "work" and his nimble fingers worded a gem of a Tweet.

I seriously suggest Russian treatment to terrorists' carcasses. Wrap them in pigskin,bury them face down in pig excreta. No chance of Houris

— Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) January 4, 2016

In a series of Twitter conversations - later deleted by Roy (@tathagata2) - all of which tagged @narendramodi and @PMOIndia - when it was pointed out that constitutional authorities had no reasons to peddle religious hatred and vulgarity, the Governor replied: "Vulgarity! You think you can dissuade a suicide jihadi by having a polite conversation?" and "No religious hatred-u're imagining. And if a non-Constitutional prsn hs a bettr idea, gr8!"

This is not the first time that Roy has waded into Twitter controversy. In July 2015 he had attracted universal condemnation for a series of tweets after the funeral of executed terrorist Yakub Memon drew substantial crowds. Roy Tweeted, "Intelligence shd keep a tab on all (expt relatives & close friends) who assembled bfr Yakub Memon's corpse. Many are potential terrorists." When it was pointed out by Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien that a "Governor must speak like a Governor and behave like a Governor", Roy responded with another Tweet: "Governors ought to be concerned abt security of state. Intelligence keeping tab on Yakub's mourners is preventing terror. Better than cure".

In just a couple of months, Roy flirted with controversy once again. In November 2015 in an interview with The Economic Times, the Governor let loose his acerbic tongue: "People have the right to eat what they want but the scales would be even when Muslims come out and have pork in the open".

Ironically, when he was appointed to the constitutional post, Roy almost bemoaned his appointment. His loss was palpable when he Tweeted: "Thanks to all twipple who congratulated me. Please appreciate that I can't reply individually. And, alas, no more political tweets." It did not take more than a couple of months before he was back to his usual ways!

Elder brother of Trinamool Congress MP, Saugata Roy, the septuagenarian Governor was inducted into the BJP by Dr Murli Manohar Joshi in the early 1990s after a career in Indian Railway Service of Engineers. He made his mark in the party as an ideological publicist writing articles, researching issues such as infiltration and demography, and entering into heated debates.

One of his main concern areas related to Hindus in East Bengal and he wrote a book - My People, Uprooted: A Saga of the Hindus of Eastern Bengal. Roy also authored a biography of the founder of Jana Sangh, Syama Prasad Mookerjee. In recent years, Roy chose the path used by so-called fringe forces to rapidly ascend the party and Sangh hierarchy. His tweets were always provocative. For instance he once wrote, "Hindus of West Bengal: either chuck yr 'secular','politically correct' values and polarise. Or prepare to be either annihilated or converted". On another occasion in a reply to a tweet that "Hindus have always run away from a fight", Roy stated, "One exception was Gujarat,2002. I'm glad you appreciate what the Hindus did then."

When Roy was appointed to the post, Asim Sarkar, a general secretary in the state unit had told a journalist that the appointee "was not the sort to sweat it out on the ground; he did not have that tenacity." He, however, had the persistence as far as it came to Twitter and other verbal non-constitutional platforms.

In May 2015, it was several months since the Modi government had been besieged by fringe forces or motor-mouths. This had already earned needless reminder from American President Barack Obama on the necessity to uphold constitutional obligations. Modi was forced to make an important statement promising religious freedom and also meet important leaders of religious minorities to belie fears regarding his lack of constitutional commitment. Yet, Roy was appointed despite his extreme views. His appointment to the post when there was no real need - except may be to get him out of the state unit - demonstrated that the government was not serious about regulating verbally vicious leaders.

Since his appointment, there have been several occasions when Roy should have been admonished by someone with responsibility. After all, the strategy worked with some like Niranjan Jyoti who after her initial abusive comments quietened down considerably. But Roy's bellicosity on Twitter on this occasion is far more serious than his previous indiscretions.

The Pathankot attack is by far the most complex issue that Modi has handled in his tenure so far. In such a situation, downright abusive comments by constitutional authorities will only make the prime minister's task more difficult. Time someone asked Roy to pop a rosogolla in his mouth or he is shown the way.