Is the Telangana governor crossing the line? Is the highest constitutional authority acting unconstitutional? Is the office which is bound to protect constitutional values failing to do so? Recent developments answer in affirmative.
From withholding important bills to delivering politically-coated speeches on the Republic Day, the governor office is purportedly displaying vendetta politics allegedly at the behest of the ruling dispensation at the centre.
The governor office has blocked eight important bills for more than four months. Constitutionally, the governor either has to accept the bill or send it back immediately. The office doesn’t hold any right to withhold the bill. But the governor’s office is dilly dallying in accepting the eight bills passed by the Telangana state assembly.
While the governor says she needs time to study the bills, many important bills that have potential to positively affect crores of people are getting delayed in what looks like a ego battle.
In the garb of protocol issue, the governor’s office is troubling the democratically-elected state government. This is not just permitted to Telangana. A zone of confrontation is developed between the chief minister and governor in many states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The Sarkaria Commission clearly recommended that any person appointed as governor must not be active in politics for some time before his/her appointment. Often, this recommendation is ignored while appointing governors.
In reality, the governor system is a remnant of colonial legacy and the time has arrived to revisit the role and functions of governor. If at all, the governor’s office must aid in smooth functioning of the state government but not the opposite.