President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday appointed new governors of five states, throwing many surprises.
Tamil Nadu BJP Chief Tamilisai Soundrarajan has been made the Governor of Telangana, replacing ESL Narasimhan. Former Director of the Intelligence Bureau Narasimhan was appointed as the Governor of the undivided Andhra Pradesh in January 2010 by then UPA government. He was serving as the governor of both Telugu states even after the state of Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated until mid-July this year when Andhra Pradesh got a new Governor--Odisha BJP leader Biswa Bhushan Harichandan.
Former Congress leader Arif Mohammed Khan was appointed as the governor of Kerala, replacing Palanisamy Sathasivam. Notably, Khan had supported the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the decision to criminalise instant triple talaq.
Senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra who served as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh has been transferred and appointed as the Governor of Rajasthan.
Among others who have been given new responsibilities are BJP leaders from Uttarakhand Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, who has now been appointed as Governor of Maharashtra, while Bandaru Dattatreya has been made the Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
The appointments take effect from the dates the new governors take charge of their respective offices.
Tamilisai Soundararajan named Telangana Governor
Tamilisai Soundararajan is the daughter of former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President Kumari Anandan and niece of Congress MP from Kanniyakumari H. Vasanthakumar.
Though she belongs to traditionally Congress-leaning family, Soundararajan was attracted by the BJP ideology and has been working full-time for the BJP.
She served the Tamil Nadu state BJP unit in various capacities from 1999. She was made the president of the Party’s Tamil Nadu unit in 2014.
Tamilisai Soundararajan is a doctor by profession.
Arif Mohammed Khan named Kerala Governor
The 68-year-old former Union cabinet minister hails from Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh. He was a Congress leader and quit the party owing to differences in the passage of Muslim personal law, piloted by Rajiv Gandhi in Loksabha. He was always for the reformation in the Muslim community and stood up against Rajiv Gandhi in the Shahbano case endearing himself to the anti-Congress faction of Indian polity. He stood with the Supreme Court judgment in Shahbano case and opposed Triple talaq and argued that it be made a criminal offense with three-year jail term.
He joined the Janata Dal and was Union minister for Civil aviation and Energy in the Janata Dal government led by VP Singh and later owing to differences of opinion, he left the party to join Bahujan Samaj Party.
The former Union minister later joined the BJP and contested elections but had to taste defeat. He left the BJP but of late was supporting the saffron outfit in several teething issues through his writings and speeches. He is associated with several think tanks and is active in the reformation within Islam.
He along with his wife Reshma Arif runs, Samarpan for the differently abled.
(With Online Desk inputs)