Some governors play to the tune of their political masters while others do their duty diligently

“The type of treatment which a government gives to its intellectuals, to its most talented people, is a good index of the government’s own caliber,” Nani A Palkhivala, the legendary Constitutional expert, had written in an essay. Palkhivala had referred to emperors and kings of yore who used to travel hundreds of miles to sit at the feet of rishis and monks, the then intellectuals to seek their counsel on issues of governance. “But the modern-day intellectuals are those who know which side of the bread is buttered,” the legal wizard had said. There are persons who work sincerely to resolve burning issues faced by the country. Some among them reach the pinnacle of glory as the Government of the day appoints them to Constitutional positions. Persons like R N Ravi and Arif Mohammed Khan, the governors of Tamil Nadu and Kerala belong to this genre. The only ‘blot’ on them is that they were appointed by the BJP-led Government at the Centre. These two gentlemen are resisting the move by the State governments in committing constitutional impropriety. While the DMK, which had supported the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for selecting students for medical schools till 2014 (while they were in power at the Centre as part of the UPA), they made a volte-face and demanded that Tamil Nadu be freed from the shackles of NEET. The DMK leaders failed to see that the all-India examination and rank list would rob them of the moolah as most medical colleges in the State were owned by them. The kind of language used by the Dravidian leaders to defame the Governor was reprehensible. As an IPS officer, Ravi had commanded all round respect and he reached Raj Bhavan only because of his spotless service to the nation. T P Senkumar, who retired from IPS in 2017 had mentioned in his memoirs that he badly wanted to work under Ravi, a Kerala cadre IPS officer.

Khan questioned the CPI(M) move to appoint party members and their relations as vice chancellors and faculty members. He stands vindicated as the Supreme Court itself ordered the dismissal of the vice chancellor appointed by the CPI (M) government. Well, there are BJP leaders like Sreedharan Pillai, the Goa Governor, who refuse to come out of their saffron costumes. Time we learned to separate the wheat from the chaff. Persons like Ravi and Khan are national assets.