Opposition CMs demand abolition of the post of Governor – The India Saga (blog)

No less thanthreechief ministers hailing from non-BJP ruled states have firmlydemanded the abolition of the post of Governor creating ripples all around. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to face the combined anger of the chief ministers for misusing Article 356 of the Constitution and bringing duly electedstates under central rule by engineering defections.

West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Bihar's Nitish Kumar and Tripura's Manik Sarkargave vent to their frustration of Governors acting asagents of the Centre andbeing more loyal than the King infacilitating thedismissal of state governments first in Arunachal Pradesh in December last yearand later in Uttarkhand. In both the states Congress was in power and the BJP has subsequently been highly embarrassed, thanks to the orders of thecourts.

Thecontroversy in the sensitive border state of Arunachal Pradeshhas since been nullified by a five-judge Constitutionbench of the Supreme Court restoring status-quo-ante in Itanagaralong with drawing guidelines for Governors so that they do not overstep their briefand remain confined to their duties and responsibilities in keeping with the provisions of the Constitution.

The eleventh meeting of the Inter-State Council (ISC)held after a gap of a decade in the national capital last Saturday on July 16,chief ministers including certain allies of the BJPdid not go through the routine of merelyreading their speeches and taking their seats.This time theydid not flinch from attacking the Modi government. Without mincingwords one of its ally -- the Shiromani Akali Dalchargedthe Centre with treating the states as ""beggars"".

This was contrary to the assertion madeby Modi himself setting the tone for the day long deliberations to strengthen his oft repeated pursuit of""cooperative Federalism"" and working in tandem with the states in ameliorating the lot of the poor. This was nothing short of being an eye wash.The Modi regime has not come under suchintense fire by chief ministerssince he assumed the high office on the Raisina Hill on May 26, 2014 having recorded a stunning victory in the general elections.

The SAD as asenior partner insharing power with the BJP in Punjablampooned the Modi government for reducing the states to being ""mere beggars.""Punjab's deputy chief minister and party president Sukhbir Singh Badal underlinedthe imperativeneed for ushering inwhat he described as a ""genuine Federal structure"" in this country with devolution of more powers to the states.He charged the BJP-led NDA government with ""usurping the rights and authority of the states in violation of the spirit and provisions of the Constitution.""

This is a very serious matter and Modi understands the realities of the situation on the ground. He has alsobeen at the receiving end as the chief minister of Gujarat before being catapulted to the centre as the Head of Government.Sources said this meeting might not have happened had it not been for the pressure put by the states that the crucial ISC which has remained dormant needs to be urgently summoned and reactivated.

Here again non-BJP chief ministers like Mamata Banerjeeregretted that the agenda was fixed summarily by the Centre without showing the courtesy of consulting the states. She spoke of being handicapped with the Planning Commission having been dismantled.Others joined her in urging the Centreto stopresorting to staid ploys of hiding behind the issue of internal security or some other aspect of protecting national interests for trampling on the powers of the states.

The chief ministers were agitated that the agenda of the ISC meeting primarilyconcerned only the central government and there was nothing about the repeated encroachment on thejurisdiction of thestate governments. The agenda encompassed recommendations of the Punchhi Commission on Centre-state relations, use of Aadhaar in direct benefit transfer, improving the quality of school education and internal security.

Again several non-BJPchief ministers expressed serious concern about saffronisationof education even though Modi desired that the Centre and the states should work together to provide children an enabling environment. Thenon-BJP state governments were categoric that they will support initiatives for improving the quality of education. At the same time they will not back any attempts for pushing certain kinds of ideologies and doctrines into the syllabus in the name of improving education.

On his part Nitish Kumar, who also wears the hat of being the JD (U) chief, observedthe country's existing federal democratic structure does not warrant continuance of the gubernatorial post"". If it cannot be scrapped altogether at least the Governor's discretionary powers should be curtailed and the chief minister consulted while appointing and removing Governors. A Governor must allow a chief minister a floor test before recommending his removal to the President. Mamata Banerjee concurred through and through. So did Manik Sarkar.

Another ally of the BJP, TDP chief minister of Andhra Pradesh Nara Chandrababu Naidu remarked ""invoking local emergency under Articles 355 and 356 of the Constitution tantamounts to direct infringementon the states autonomy."" Prior to the JusticePunchhi report, there was the Sarkaria Commission which had also submitted a voluminous report on Centre-State relations with far reaching recommendations. Sarkaria made valuable suggestions on the appointment of a Governors which has been gathering dust in the union Home ministry. The Punchhi report might also suffer a similar fate.

At the end it simplyboils down to anydispensation at the Centre according step motherly treatment to thestates particularly those which are ruled by opposition parties.

There is nothing new with New Delhi pressurising states in oneform or another even in making available direly neededresources in quick time especially during nationalcalamities. The question is why does it invariably need a quid-pro-quo to acquiesce to the dire requirements of a state particularly a backward one or a hill state facing a calamitous situation.

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Opposition CMs demand abolition of the post of Governor - The India Saga (blog)