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Did not recommend January 26 President’s Rule: Rajkhowa
GUWAHATI: Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa, removed as governor of Arunachal Pradesh said on Monday that he did not recommend President’s Rule for the frontier state on January
GUWAHATI: Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa, removed as governor of Arunachal Pradesh said on Monday that he did not recommend President’s Rule for the frontier state on January 26.
He pointed out that the Supreme Court did not question his action or label him as biased while reinstating the Congress government. But, he claimed, people had welcome President’s Rule and wished it to stay for more than 24 days during which several development initiatives were taken.
In a parting note on Tuesday, Rajkhowa said he would not like to pass any comment on the circumstances leading to imposition of President’s Rule and its lifting on February 19. “I would like to make it absolutely clear, so that there is no misunderstanding about me of being anti-democratic, which some quarters have been alleging. I had never recommended that President’s Rule should be imposed in Arunachal Pradesh on Republic Day,” he said.
President’s Rule, Rajkhowa clarified, is not imposed on the governor’s report only. It is done by the President “only after proper assessment and due application of mind” on recommendation of the Prime Minister and the Union cabinet chaired by him.
“I would not like to go into the merit or otherwise of the (July 13) judgment and order of the Supreme Court (reinstatement of Congress government)... But, in the present case, the SC has not passed such strictures on the governor or any disparaging remarks on him... has not questioned his actions on grounds of mala fide and has not indicted him of being biased or partial in favour of any political party,” Rajkhowa said.
Appealing to the people of Arunachal Pradesh to take necessary vigilance measures for keeping public life clean, Rajkhowa said he would be taking back fond memories of a magnificent state.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya governor V Shanmuganathan reached Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar on Tuesday afternoon. He is scheduled to be sworn in on Wednesday as the states’ 20th governor.
