Chandigarh: Banwarilal Purohit, Punjab governor-cum-administrator of Chandigarh, who was often accused of using his constitutional post to engage in a political battle with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state, tendered his resignation, citing personal reasons.
He also cited ‘certain other commitments’ in his resignation letter, forwarded to the President of India.
Incidentally, his resignation comes days after allegations of tampering in the Chandigarh mayoral elections in favour of a BJP candidate. The matter has already landed in the Supreme Court for a hearing next week.
While his sudden resignation raised eyebrows, his iconic and unprecedented fight with the AAP government was unparalleled. Unlike his predecessors, who rarely remained in the media spotlight, this was not the case for Purohit.
From blocking the Bills passed by the Punjab assembly to questioning the working of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Purohit was actively engaged in a feud with the AAP government. He had once warned of the President’s rule in Punjab. He had also warned of criminal action against the Punjab chief minister after the latter chose not to reply to a series of letters Purohit sent him to seek his clarification on several issues.
The row escalated after the AAP government moved the Supreme Court against Purohit in November last year, following which the apex court reprimanded him for the delay in giving assent to Bills passed by the assembly.
During the hearing, the top court bench even said, “You are playing with fire,” and was unhappy with the deadlock between the Punjab government and him. AAP has repeatedly maintained that Purohit violated established constitutional traditions and conventions for political reasons at the behest of the BJP government.
Purohit, a senior BJP member from Maharashtra, denied these allegations and maintained that he had the right to question the wrongdoings of the state government in the larger public interest.
While the AAP government has not officially reacted to his resignation yet, some of the party leaders have called it ‘good riddance’.
When contacted, AAP Punjab spokesperson Malvinder Kang told The Wire that they had always respected Purohit, but that he misused the sanctity of his office in creating unnecessary hurdles for an elected government at the BJP’s behest.
Punjab was no different from other non-BJP ruled states where elected governments were harassed by the BJP through their appointees in the governors’ offices.
“While one can’t really guess the BJP’s game plan behind Purohit’s sudden resignation, it appears to me that he was tired of taking orders from the BJP against the AAP government and finally released himself of this pressure by resigning from the post,” said Kang.
He added, “We hope that his successor would not interfere in the day-to-day working of the government like he did and allow the constitutionally elected government to fulfil the people’s mandate.”