E-Paper
‘Won’t bow down to threats by governor’: Punjab CM Mann hits back
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit has been accusing Mann of defying his authority by not responding to the letters sent to him and not furnishing details asked for by the Raj Bhavan
Chandigarh Do not try to test the patience and emotions of 35 million people of Punjab, chief minister Bhagwant Mann said on Saturday, lashing out at governor Banwarilal Purohit for “threatening” to impose President’s Rule in the state.
The latest salvo in the long-running tussle between the chief minister and Raj Bhavan came a day after the governor warned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government that he could recommend President’s Rule under Article 356 in the state, and launch criminal proceedings, if his letters were not answered.
Purohit has been accusing Mann of defying his authority by not responding to the letters sent to him and not furnishing details asked for by the Raj Bhavan.
“Governor Sahab, don’t try to test the patience and emotions of the Punjabis. We are not afraid of Article 356. Punjab has suffered the most in the past due to [Article] 356. So, don’t rub salts on our wounds,” Mann said while addressing a press conference in Chandigarh.
Mann accused the governor of “deliberately threatening” 3.5 crore (35 million) Punjabis and trying to “make fun” of people’s mandate. “The selected governor does not have any moral authority to threaten elected representatives of the people and make a malicious attempt to topple a democratically elected government,” Mann said, adding that he is “not going to bow down”.
He said Purohit has demeaned the Constitution and insulted its chief architect, Dr BR Ambedkar, by “such tantrums”.
In a strongly worded letter on Friday, Purohit threatened to initiate criminal proceedings against the AAP leader if he did not reply to his letters. He also alleged that there was a reason to believe constitutional machinery in the state had failed.
“Before I am going to take a final decision regarding sending a report to the President of India under Article 356 about the failure of the constitutional mechanism and decide about initiating criminal proceedings under Section 124 (assaulting the governor with intent to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power) of IPC [Indian Penal Code], I ask you to send me the requisite information sought for in my letters,” the letter read.
It is unprecedented for a governor to tell a chief minister to respond to his letters or face the prospect of President’s rule being imposed in the state.
Mann and Purohit have been at odds over several issues for almost a year, including the appointment of vice chancellors, the convening of special assembly sessions, and the CM’s absence from official functions. The governor has repeatedly accused Mann of not replying to his letters seeking information on administrative matters. The CM has previously referred to the missives as “love letters”.
Mann said on Saturday that the governor wrote 16 letters, of which he has replied to nine while the rest are being followed up. He said replies for the remaining letters are being readied and will be given in the coming week as in some cases detailed information has to be gathered which takes time.
However, he expressed concern that Purohit was “exerting pressure on an elected government in an unconstitutional manner”.
“The governor needs answers to his letters immediately but what about the six bills that had been passed in the Vidhan Sabha? He is sitting on them for the past year and a half,” the chief minister alleged, adding that the letters from the governor reek of “hunger for power”.
“Though he lost election there (in his home state, Rajasthan), he is still not able to leave his habit of giving orders… If he has so much passion to give orders, why doesn’t he become the Bharatiya Janata Party’s CM face in Rajasthan and contest the assembly elections there,” the chief minister alleged.
Mann also alleged that the governors are acting as “puppets of the Union government to create unwarranted hindrances in the functioning of non-BJP governments in states like Delhi, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu”. Such things don’t augur well for the country’s federal structure, he added.
To be sure, several non-BJP ruled states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Jharkhand, have been witnessing acrimonious relationship between the centrally appointed governors and the elected governments.
Mann alleged that the Union government has withheld allocations to the state under the Rural Development Fund (RDF), goods and services tax (GST), and questioned the governor’s silence on these issues. “The Centre has not paid attention to the concerns of Punjab’s farmers and it is alarming that the governor has not written a single letter to the central government addressing the real issues of Punjab,” Mann said.
He also claimed that Punjab is one of the best states in terms of law and order and has attracted investments worth ₹50,871 crore.
HT contacted the governor’s office for a comment over Mann’s remarks, but did not get one immediately.
