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Governor Banwarilal Purohit Friday claimed that he had resigned from the Constitutional post in February thinking that “may be Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann does not want him me to stay,” but went on to add that he will continue to visit Punjab’s border districts even if the AAP leader “feels bad”. “I will continue to visit the border districts as long as I am posted here. It is my constitutional responsibility. Drugs is a major issue in Punjab. It is an issue of national security. Drugs are being sent to the state through drones. I send a report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah after my each visit to these districts,” Purohit said. “Why does the chief minister need to be afraid of me? Why should the Governor be a problem for anybody? Where do I interfere? My intention is pious. CM has no reason to be upset,” he said Mann had on Thursday hit out at Purohit, saying he should refrain from creating an “atmosphere of conflict” and instead inaugurate a seminar at a university. Reacting to Purohit’s visits to border districts and meetings with villagers and officials of the police and central agencies, Mann said the governor holds a constitutional post and should fulfil his responsibility “and we will fulfil ours”. Addressing the media at Raj Bhawan after his three-day visit to six border districts of Pathankot, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran, Governor said that because of his visits, coordination between the police force and central agencies has improved, which will help in their efforts to check smuggling of drugs and weapons from Pakistan. Purohit also said village-level defence committees have been formed in border villages at his instance and he has also declared cash prizes for villages helping in the recovery of drones and drugs. “ I just want that the state should run well. Otherwise what do I do. Where do I interfere? It is my duty to care about national security. Drugs are coming from the border…complaints are coming from schools. Principals have complained that even children are taking drugs. We should work towards eliminating the menace,” Purohit said. He added, “When I went first time, I got alert. This is my seventh visit. Whenever I go I believe in working. That is my purpose. In my first visit I realised there was lack of coordination. I was faced with a challenge as to how to overcome this. People were scared, indifferent and did not want to speak. Villages have a culture. Everybody knows everybody. Everyone knows who is doing what in the family. They know who is smuggling drugs. But they would not speak up…I meet all. I meet representatives of every party. I listen to them. There is no politics in me”. On Mann’s claim that the governor takes “half of my government along” during his visits to border areas, Purohit said only the chief secretary and the state police chief accompany him while the deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police of the district concerned remain present at the spot. He reiterated the entire border area will be covered with an anti-drone system within a year. Asked about his resignation in February this year, Purohit said it was not accepted by the Centre. To a question on the reason behind his resignation, the Governor said, “Shayad mujhe laga hoga ke CM mujhe nahi chaahte hain (May be I would have felt that the CM did not want me to stay).” Earlier, he had said that he had resigned purely on “family and personal reasons.” Purohit had submitted his resignation to President of India in February. In March, he had stated that he was asked to continue working. Saying that Mann was “younger than his children,” Purohit said, “He is a good natured man. Whenever he has met me, he has been courteous. I invite him respectfully. He is younger than my children. But he gets upset somehow”. On CM’s statement that he had transferred 10,000 police personnel over alleged nexus with drug peddlers, Purohit said, “That was my information too. If he has started working on it then he will get a good result. If such characters are transferred, then I appreciate the CM”. Asked about his last year’s comment that he would not use the state government’s helicopter anymore, the governor said, “I am a farmer. I love travelling by road… it helps me understand Punjab better.” Days after President Droupadi Murmu refused to clear a Punjab government Bill seeking the removal of Governor as the Chancellor of state-run universities, Governor Banwari Lal Purohit said he neither supports nor oppose the legislation. “He (Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ) thought a Governor should not be the Chancellor but the CM should be the Chancellor. He passed a Bill in Assembly. The Bill came to me. I neither support nor oppose the move of removing the governor from the post of chancellor. How could I make a decision about it when I was a party? I had no alternative but to send it to the President of India. The president discussed it and returned it as rejected and said the current system should continue,” Purohit said. The Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was passed by the Punjab Assembly during a two-day session in June last year. The Governor had sent the Bill to the President who returned it earlier this month without assent. “Nobody is bigger than the President in the country. Her decision should be respected. I appeal to the CM to respect her decision,” Purohit said. He said he wanted that work in the universities should go on. “There were no regular vice-chancellors at 10 universities in Punjab. They (state government) did not do it (appointments),” Purohit said. He said as per UGC guidelines, a search committee, comprising experts and the nominees of the state government and the governor, is formed for the appointment of a vice-chancellor. Out of the names suggested by the search committee, the governor, who is also the chancellor of state-run universities, selects the best candidate for the post of vice-chancellor, Purohit said. He recalled that as the governor of Tamil Nadu , he had appointed 27 vice-chancellors and there was no issue over the appointments. “Stalin sahib (Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin) is CM’s friend. He can ask him,” he added. About Mann’s remarks that only elected representatives should take government-related decisions and not the “selected” ones, Purohit said, “What is his perception? Who can deny that the public elected him? I am appointed by the President.” Reacting to Mann’s barb that Purohit had lost elections thrice, the Governor said he won elections five times and lost three times. “I do not care. I have seen defeat and victory. But it is not zero. It is 60 a per cent result,” he added. On why the Governor had not written any letter to CM lately, he said, “I am tired of writing letters. I do not get any reply. Let them keep doing what they want…There is one request to the chief minister… I have no grudge. Punjab should progress and work should be carried out following the constitution.” On another question, on whether the government was getting Vidhan Sabha sessions prorogued, Purohit said, “Supreme Court ne daant lga di mere ko. Mai iss jhnajhat mein padta hi nahi hu.” None
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