Mumbai, Jun 19 (FP) : Confirming beyond a doubt that Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami had made calls asking a handful of UPA-appointed governors to demit office, Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan told reporters on Wednesday evening that he received two such calls from Goswami.
According to reports, the governor had said that while there was no questioning the fact that no position in democracy is permanent, he objected to the NDA government's approach to the issue.
According to a report in The Indian Express the Maharashtra governor said, "The Governor’s post is a constitutional post. He is a representative of the President of India... No responsible person has asked me in writing to relieve the post... No position in a democracy is permanent. If an appropriate decision-making authority asks me to resign, I will definitely think over it.”
Governor of Maharashtra, K Sankaranarayanan. Image courtesy PIBGovernor of Maharashtra K Sankaranarayanan. Image courtesy PIB
That the decision to replace UPA appointees in Raj Bhavan is being relayed orally is "surprising", he reportedly said. He added that he had not replied to Goswami's request.
Goswami's call to Narayanan is part of the Narendra Modi government's efforts to purge Raj Bhavans of UPA government appointees, especially in cases where the governors are former Congress leaders. There are reportedly 19 such governors.
While Uttar Pradesh Governor B L Joshi resigned yesterday after being reportedly prodded to do so, some others, including Sankaranarayanan, have decided to resist the move.
Sankaranarayanan is reportedly likely to take the position that the constitutional path must be followed in the replacement of governors.
According to a report in The Hindu, he holds the view that the May 2010 Supreme Court verdict disallows a new political dispensation at the Centre from dismissing a Governor from office without valid reasons. "At best, a Governor, who forms part of the Constitutional frame-work, can only be transferred during the pendency of his term," the report said.
The 82-year-old Sankaranarayanan has made a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and also attended his swearing-in ceremony. He took fresh oath as Maharashtra Governor in May 2012.
Meanwhile, Karantaka Governor HR Bharadwaj met Home Minister Rajnath Singh but did not state that he would resign. There was speculation about Nagaland Governor Ashwini Kumar too, but there is no clear indication that he is willing to resign.
West Bengal governor and former NSA M K Narayanan has said he has not yet resigned, while Kerala governor Sheila Dikshit has indicated her resistance to such a move by the NDA.
Faced with resistance from UPA-appointed governors the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has indicated that it will not shy of using threat of criminal investigations against the incumbents to have its way.
Reports suggested earlier that the BJP is determined to use the ongoing CBI probe into the Agusta Westland VVIP helicopter deal to force out Governor BV Wanchoo in Goa and MK Narayanan in West Bengal. The CBI has until now maintained that it needs to question both these governors. Similarly, in the case of Kerala governor Sheila Dikshit, a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board could be used to nudge her out.