NEW DELHI: In the backdrop of the government formation in Manipur and Goa where no political outfit could get a majority on its own, the standing committee of the Inter-state Council, which met in the national capital after a gap of 12 years, discussed the use of discretionary powers by Governors.
The panel also discussed a host of other issues, including the tenure of the Governors and guidelines for them in using their discretionary powers in the formation of the governments in states. Incidentally, Bihar in a note moved before the panel stated that the role of the Governor in contemporary times has become redundant. Punjab in its submission sought that the state governments should be consulted before the appointment of Governor.
Representatives of states argued for appointments of non-partisan Governors, who could rise above their political affiliations to do justice with their mandate under the Constitution. Sources said that the panel discussed the M M Punchhi Commission’s recommendations on the Centre-state relations.
“The Governor should stick to the guidelines and follow clear order of preference in the exercise for formation of government in the event of a fractured mandate,” sources quoted states’ representatives arguing in the meeting, which was chaired by the Union Minister for Home Affairs Rajnath Singh and attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitely and scores of chief ministers, including Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Navin Patnaik (Odisha), Raman Singh (Chattisgarh) among others. The Opposition ruled states, sources said, rued the politicisation of the position of Governor.
The panel also discussed another recommendation of the Punchhi commission on prosecution of a member of council of ministers. There were different views on the recommendation, sources said.
However, the Union Minister for Home Affairs Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitely in their respective address to the panel argued that the position of the Governor should be allowed to remain the same without any change.