Review decision on governors: Advani to Govt

Leader of the Oppn Advani said that removal of governors would weaken federal structure and demanded a review of the decision with an open mind.

Launching a scathing attack on the UPA Government for removing four governors on the basis of ideology, Leader of the Opposition LK Advani on Monday said that this would weaken federal structure and demanded a review of the decision with an open mind.

HT Image

Initiating a discussion on the issue in Lok Sabha, he said government taking recourse to the "rationale o ideology" in removing governors was an "outrage on the Parliamentary system".

Advani said he was not aware whether any of the BJP chief ministers was consulted on the issue. "I was told they were only informed."

He appealed to Home Minister Shivraj Patil to accept recommendations of the Sarkaria Committee which had suggested governors should complete their full five-year term.

Advani said appointment to gubernatorial posts should be done through effective consultations with chief ministers and not just forced on them.

He said the Venkatachalliah Commission to review the Constitution had suggested that the procedure for removal of governors should be the same as that of their appointment -- that is the concerned chief minister should be consulted.

The former Deputy Prime Minister said the Home Minister's statement that the government had not changed all but only four governors because they had "different ideology can create difficulties specially when government of one ideology is replaced by another".

"The Home Secretary rang up the four governors saying the government wants them to resign," Advani said.

He said when he and party leader in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to protest the removal of governors, the Prime Minister told them "some complaints against the Haryana Governor had been received and he had asked the Home Minister to look into this."

The Home Minister then said complaints against governors of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Goa too had been received which "made me think that this kind of decision was not well thought of", Advani said.

He asked the Home Minister to "review this decision with an open mind".

He said the Inter-State Council was of the view that a Governor's term of five years should not be disturbed except in very exceptional situation.