A Governor-State Govt spat belittles the dignity of both the titular and the real head
The Governor of a State should not ideally be a political appointee; however, with the Centre planting its trusted lieutenants as “puppets” at the Raj Bhawans, the status of the coveted post has only spiralled downwards. Although a Governor is only a nominal head with no real power vested in him, s/he can play a decisive role at crucial junctures much to the discomfiture of the State’s dispensation. The titular head can “dilly-dally” approval to important Bills passed by the State Assembly, or can sit over these Bills indefinitely. And this is what makes the position really significant at times, with the Centre expecting the Governor to “call the shots” on its diktats while the State Government looks for fair play. Especially, if the Centre and the State are at loggerheads, the cold war between the Governor and the Chief Minister can turn ugly and that belittles the dignity of both the titular and the real head. The ongoing tussle between Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government led by Shiv Sena is a case in point. The existing friction between the Governor and the State Government led by Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray escalated when Koshyari, much to his embarrassment, was made to disembark a State Government carrier because the plane did not have the approval to fly. Koshyari finally had to board a commercial flight to Dehradun.
It would have added to the grace of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) had it shown some modicum of decency by allowing the Governor to use the State aircraft. The State Government must understand that even if the Governor is working as the Centre’s “stooge”, the reputation of the State and its institutions suffers from such shows of disagreement. It must be mentioned that West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar and firebrand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are often at loggerheads. Likewise, daggers are drawn every now and then between Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy. Both West Bengal and Puducherry have non-BJP Governments while Dhankar and Bedi have been rewarded for their loyalty towards the saffron party and are toeing its line. The latest incident points to a new low in the politics of Maharashtra. Sena’s outspoken spokesperson Sanjay Raut has said that it is an “open war” and that the BJP is pressuring Koshyari to destabilise the MVA Government spearheaded by the Shiv Sena supremo. The party has urged the Centre to recall Koshyari, asserting that it is necessary for upholding the Constitution, the laws and the norms. On the other hand, the Governor had a “closed-door” meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. More action, therefore, is expected in the ongoing war between the Raj Bhawan and the CMO, with the people, democracy and ethos standing at a crossroads.
Tuesday, 16 February 2021 | Pioneer
