Governor H.R. Bhardwaj on Friday said that he is disillusioned with the goings-on in the State and that “I have decided to withdraw (from the gubernatorial post).” He, however, did not elaborate on the issue.
Speaking to presspersons on his arrival to inaugurate the 39th All India Sociological Conference at the Senate Bhavan here, Mr. Bhardwaj said that the posts of governors had become irrelevant in the country.
His observations came in the wake of a question from presspersons on the proposed foreign jaunt of a group of legislators from the State.
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Mr. Bhardwaj averred that if there was an official invitation from a country to the team of legislators from the State, and if the team had obtained sanction from the Speaker here, no one could have interfered in the matter as it would have been a bilateral arrangement.
“I have been a Member of Parliament for 28 years,” he said and added that he had always followed rules. Legislators could not take a decision on their own with regard to foreign trips as it involved expenditure of public money, he noted.
“Don’t they have work in their constituencies?” he asked.
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Referring to a question on whether he could rein in the legislators, Mr. Bhardwaj said that he could not speak to any MLA, but it would be fine with a Minister.
“I can’t tell the MLAs; if they don’t understand the import of what they are doing, it is a sad state of affairs,” he said.
Mr. Bhardwaj said that if one looked at what was happening in the country, nobody was listening to anyone.
Mr. Bhardwaj said that governors were struggling to retain their own positions in certain States. The MLAs, who are elected by the people, must focus on the development of their constituencies and take steps to mitigate the sufferings of the people.
To a question on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Mr. Bhardwaj said that the Chief Minister should be given more time to “prove his worth”.
However, he had been watching the administration closely and had found that there were certain lacunae with certain Ministers. Mr. Bhardwaj said that he had been advising them adequately.