Punjab GovernorPurohit resigns citingpersonal reasons

 

 

 

PUNJAB Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday, citing personal reasons. “Due to my personal reasons and certain other commitments, I tender my resignation from the post of Governor of Punjab and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh. Please accept the same and oblige,” Purohit (84) wrote in his resignation letter. Purohit’s resignation came a day after he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Before being appointed as the Governor Punjab and administrator of Chandigarh, Purohit hadalso been the Governor of Assam from 2016 to 2017 and the Governor of Tamil Nadu from 2017 to 2021. Purohit had also been a three-time Lok Sabha member from Nagpur in 1984, 1989 and 1996.

 

He had also won the Assemblyelections from Nagpur East in 1978 and from Nagpur South in1980. In his more than two-year eventful term as the Governor, Purohit had been at logger heads with Punjab Chief MinisterBhagwant Mann over several issues, including holding the Assembly sessions and appointments of Vice-Chancellors. They had not been on the best of terms as squabble between the Raj Bhawan and the AAP Government surfaced over many issues. Their relationship nose-dived when the Governor thwarted the Mann-led regime’s plan to summonaspecial Assembly session in September 2022 to bring a confidence motion after he withdrew his order of summoning it. AAP had alleged that the BJP offered money to its 10 MLAs.

 

The row between the Raj Bhawan and the AAP Government escalated when Purohit declined appointment of a cardiologist as Vice Chancellor of the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences and also sought removal of Punjab Agricultural University Vice Chancellor. Purohit, during his tourto border villages in February last year, put the AAP Government in the dock over drug and other issues. Purohit emphasised on setting up village-level defence committees to check drugs and arms smuggling from Pakistan. A row erupted once again between the AAP Government and the Raj Bhawan after Purohit questioned Chief Minister Mann on various issues, including the selection of school principals for a foreign trip, with Mann saying his Government is only answerable to Punjabis and not a Centre appointed Governor. While the Governor claimed that Mann “never cared to reply” to his official letters, the Chief Minister while calling them “love letters” had said his Governmentis“ accountable onlytothreecrore Punjabis”. InAugustlastyear,Purohit said he could recommend the President’s Rule in the State and also initiate criminal proceedings ifhis letters were not answered.