Peoples' Faith Vs State Govt's Discomfort: Why Upcoming Governors' Conference Could Open Pandora's Box

Governors and state governments have usually had an uneasy relationship, especially if they belong to opposition-ruled states.

Governors are appointed by the President on the advice of the Union government and this is considered the genesis of mistrust and lack of communication between them and the state government. This is more so if the Governor is seen to be proactive. Take the example of both Bengal governors — CV Ananda Bose and his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The reason why there could be more confrontation in the coming days is that the two-day conference of governors — scheduled to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers — has on its agenda the issue of ‘Peoples’ Governor’.

Sources say the agenda copy seen by News18 focuses on the point that governors should not be mute spectators. They must step in and also seen to be stepping in. Whenever there are issues concerning people, they should not hesitate to take a stand and also push or reprimand the state government, if necessary. A top source said: “This applies to all governors. So even in BJP-ruled states, the governors are expected to be proactive.”

While the agenda does not mention this specifically, sources say the governors will be encouraged at the conference to use social media to educate and alert people. Not just this, the agenda expects the governors to push for ‘Viksit Bharat’, focus on public interaction with civil societies, and better coordination with Centre and states.

In the past, Bose faced attacks from Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the Sandeshkhali issue when he travelled and met the victims. Recently, the Tamil Nadu government went to the Supreme Court, accusing governor RN Ravi of running a parallel government by refusing to listen to the state’s advice to appoint DMK leader Ponmudy as minister when the top court suspended his conviction.

It’s an awkward and quaint situation. While the president and prime minister don’t want governors to be mere ceremonial ‘jewels’, opposition state governments will never be comfortable with their activism as they perceive it as snooping by the Centre.