Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann continue to be on a collision course. There seems to be no end to the point of confrontation between the two top leaders in the state during the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) over a year-long tenure.
The latest flashpoint is Chief Minister Mann’s allegations against the Governor claiming that Purohit refused to refer to the AAP Government as “My Government” during his address to the Punjab Assembly on the first day of the budget session in June last — an accusation outrightly rejected by the Governor while asking Mann to “furnish the proof”. Within hours, Mann released a video clip as a “proof”.
The controversy erupted a day after Bhagwant Mann, addressing AAP’s maharally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidaan, said: “Punjab Governor had refused to refer to AAP Government in Punjab as ‘My Government’, but when I asked him that we have to move the Supreme Court as the speech has been approved by the Council of Ministers and he has to read it word-by-word, Governor had to say ‘My Government’.”
Responding to the media queries regarding the same on Monday, Purohit reminded Mann of the disregard he has been doing to the Governor’s position by not responding to his “letters” despite the Supreme Court’s directions. At the same time, Purohit claimed that he had never asked to remove the “my government” words from the Governor’s Address.
“Why would I say this when it is my government! When all the orders are issued under my signature, why would I say this,” he said.
To substantiate his claims, Chief Minister shared a video of the Vidhan Sabha proceedings on his Twitter handle, in which Governor was seen referring to AAP government as “government” instead of the written “My Government” after the Leader of Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa objected to it.
“Honorable Governor Sir take video evidence as per your demand…First you said ‘My Government’, then on opposition's request you started saying only Government…When I told you about Supreme Court's order that you will have to speak what is written. While justifying, they started saying ‘MY Government’..Rajpal sir, I do not speak without facts...,” tweeted Mann.
Mann, in an official statement released later in the evening, apprised the Governor “how he had failed in his constitutional duty until he was reminded about it by citing a judgment of apex court”.
Citing a video recording, the Chief Minister said that the Governor had started his speech with my government but, however, when hue and cry was made by opposition without any logic, he preferred to use the word government only. “However, when I reminded the Governor about the judgement given by Supreme Court, he changed his stance and used word my government. The video recording from the records of Punjab Vidhan Sabha is a proof that Governor is having a hostile approach towards the elected state government,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that the “baseless” and “misleading” statements by the Governor are demeaning the position of this post. “The statements being issued by the Governor are totally contrary to his actions in the state assembly which have a recorded proof too,” said Mann while asking the Governor to explain why he had failed to discharge his constitutional duty by not using the word ‘my government’ during his address.
At the same time, Mann bemoaned that it is unfortunate that in the present central regime, selected ones are unnecessarily peeping into the affairs of the elected ones. “Undue hiccups are being raised to derail the smooth functioning of the state government. As a fact of matter, the gubernatorial Raj Bhawans are now acting as the state headquarters of the BJP which is a very dangerous trend for Indian democracy,” said Mann, without mincing any words.
He has not replied to my letters despite SC orders: Governor
Lashing out at Mann, Purohit said: “He has not replied to my 10 letters…He is doing it against the Constitution…They went to the Supreme Court which said that it is 100 per cent obligatory on the Chief Minister that he has to give a reply…Jo bhi Governor poochenge, woh document bhi dena ppadega, reply bhi dena padega…It’s in clear words.”
“I asked about response to my letters….what the honourable chief minister replied! He had replied, ‘Governor aap apna dhhanda karo (Governor, do your work)…I represent 3.5 crore people, and I am not answerable to you,” said Purohit, while adding that the SC had stated that the Chief Minister has to reply to his letters, but to no avail.
The Supreme Court order had made it clear that the Governor and the State Government have to listen to each other in the matters of convening sessions and providing information. The judgment by the Bench, headed by the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, had also sent out a strong message to both the Governor Purohit and the Chief Minister Mann, who were at loggerheads with one another since months over a slew of issues — making it clear that the Governor was duty-bound to summon the assembly session once the State Cabinet recommends it, and so is the Chief Minister to furnish information sought by the Governor.
With the SC order, it was expected that the tug of war — that has been going on between the two, having larger political ramifications — would come to an end, leading to smooth functioning in the state. However, the situation remained unchanged.
The slugfest between the two continues over one issue after another. Till date, the State Government has not replied to the issues and queries raised by the Governor despite SC orders.
The governor, in the past, had sought clarification on the State Government’s several decisions, including principals’ training in Singapore, SC scholarship, appointment of IPS Kuldeep Singh Chahal, Punjab Infotech chairman, and Punjab Agriculture University Vice-Chancellor, among others.
The development came days after the Governor had written to the Chief Minister, for the third time, asking what action has been initiated against the Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, facing allegations of “sexual misconduct”.