Outgoing Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan, who quit office on Sunday after being shifted out abruptly, has said the brusque manner in which the authorities concerned handled constitutional functionaries will undermine the federal structure of the Indian state.
Speaking to The Hindu from Mumbai, Mr. Sankaranarayanan, obliquely referring to the late night order shifting him to Mizoram and the ruling dispensation’s hurry to install his successor as quickly as possible, said he never wanted to hang on to the gubernatorial position. He said he had maintained cordial relations with all leaders beyond the realm of political loyalties. Asked whether he considered his shifting as political vendetta, Mr. Sankaranarayanan said it was for the people to judge this. “No chair is permanent in a democratic system,” he said and added that he was quitting without malice towards anyone.
Mr. Sankaranarayanan, whose term was to have expired in 2017, had expressed his wish to quit office as soon as the Modi government assumed office at the Centre, firmly holding the view that his was a political appointment. However, his party leadership wanted him to continue since Maharashtra was an important State for the Congress and the party leaders there were in a rebellious mood following its debacle in the Lok Sabha election in the State. Obviously, the Congress high command wanted time to set its house in order since powerful factional leaders had demanded the ouster of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chouhan, holding him responsible for the defeat.
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He would not comment on whether his rather abrupt shift had any links to the Supreme Court case on the dismissal of Aziz Qureshi as Uttarakhand Governor and the speculation that the apex court was likely to give its verdict.