NEW DELHI, BENGALURU: Doing away from the notion that gubernatorial positions are for rehabilitation of retired politicians, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the new appointments on Sunday, has hinted that he wants Raj Bhavans to discharge their Constitutional duties assertively.
Propping up Arif Mohammed Khan in Kerala and Tamilisai Soundararajan in Telangana, both surprise picks, the Modi government has seemingly sought to send out the message that the ruling dispensation is keen to encourage alternative voices within the minority community, while having the largest-ever number of women governors at same time in the country.
However, BJP leaders in Karnataka sounded disappointed as no one from the state was picked for a posting. Speaking to TNIE, a senior BJP leader pointed out that two of the five new appointees are from Uttar Pradesh. “Our party has done well in the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka. When it comes to alloting central ministries and appointing governors, Karnataka has been ignored,” he said.
“It’s really unfortunate. In 2014, it was widely believed that senior party leader D H Shankaramurthy would be appointed governor. We were hoping he will be picked this time, but yet again we are left disappointed,” said another BJP leader.
Shankaramurthy himself felt at least one leader from the state should have been picked for the post.
On Sunday, the President appointed governors to Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. While Kalraj Mishra, who was appointed Rajasthan governor, and Arif Mohammed Khan are from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra governor-designate Bhagat Singh Koshiyari is from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh appointee Bandaru Dattatraya is from Telangana. Tamilisai Soundararajan hails from Tamil Nadu.
Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and Bandaru Dattatreya, two BJP veterans who were phased out from electoral politics, bring administrative experience.
Arif Mohammed Khan has been a vocal alternative voice within the minority community. “Khan is a voice of modern Muslims. He raised the voice of dissent against the Congress when the party sought to protect regressive social practices within the minority community. He’s vocal and argumentative. His appointment in Kerala is well thought-out with the aim of giving him a platform to raise the alternative voice, besides bringing weight to the office of the Governor,” said a senior BJP functionary.
Khan had argued strongly in favour of the Modi government’s bid to push the triple talaq legislation, besides being a regular at seminars organised RSS affiliates. Tamilisai, who was BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief, looked a surprise choice since the party leaders count on her oratory. “She’s being given administrative exposure so that her talent is well utilised. Besides, the BJP is poised for a big leap in the electoral politics of Telangana. The BJP wants the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad to be more vocal in the coming days,” added the BJP functionary.