The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Unmaking of Governors

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Monday, Jun 20, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Unmaking of Governors

This refers to the editorial "The unmaking of Governors" (June 18). Governors who are willing to crawl when asked to bend are not uncommon. The need of the hour is to appoint upright people who would do justice to the august office and not fall for the trappings of power.

D. Balakrishnan,
Coimbatore

* * *

For parliamentary democracy to function effectively, the offices of President and Governor should be free from the shackles of partisan politics. The Centre's practice of using Governors to bring down State Governments, perfected by the Grand Old Party, came to an end when the Congress' fortunes suffered a reversal.

After the advent of coalition rule and the landmark judgment in the S.R. Bommai case, the misuse of Article 356 was minimised. But how do we ensure Governors go by the spirit of the Constitution when installing a government in a situation where no one has a clear majority.

M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, T.N.

* * *

During the Jharkhand crisis, the Supreme Court had to intervene to undo the actions of Governor Syed Sibtey Razi. However, presidential or judicial intervention should not be seen as a remedy to crises triggered by Governors at the behest of the Centre.

It is the political process that needs to address this issue and come out with acceptable guidelines.

K. Ambuja Ramesh,
Hubli, Karnataka

* * *

Article 156 says the Governor holds office during the pleasure of the President. To ensure that a Governor functions independently and impartially, the Constitution should be amended to provide for a fixed term.

Nithin Chandran,
Kannur, Kerala

* * *

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has done well to gently remind Governors to rise above partisan politics. But as long as the post is treated as a reward for party loyalists, such appeals will serve no purpose.

S.S. Viswanathan,
Bangalore

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's advice to Governors to act as watchdogs calls for a national debate in which the qualifications of candidates should be discussed threadbare. In a country where a scientist holds the post of President and an economist is Prime Minister, why can we not have Governors from fields other than politics?

C.P. Velayudhan Nair,
Kochi, Kerala

* * *

The exhortation by both the Prime Minister and the President to Governors to rise above partisan politics is no doubt commendable. But Governors are nominees of the ruling dispensation; they cannot be insulated from the politics of the day.

K. Ramarajan,
Kollam, Kerala

* * *

The cartoon on the subject (June 17) was a reader's delight.

K.S. Mani,
Chennai

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