Sacking Rajkhowa proves that Governor Houses are being politicised: SP

New Delhi [India]. Sept. 13 (ANI): With Arunachal Pradesh governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa being sacked from his post, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has asserted that this is a step further in ensuring that Governor Houses are completely politicised. Speaking to ANI here, SP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should come out and let everybody know the reasons why Rajkhowa has been shifted from one Governor House to another. "Even earlier when the BJP Central government had changed the governors of various states, we had said that a fixed tenure is something that is guaranteed under the Constitution, and only under exceptional circumstances the governors should be changed," he said. Adding that in the case of Rajkhowa, the appointment was made by the BJP Government, Bhatia stated that it seems that because they were not able to succeed in their "sinister design" of changing the government in Arunachal, now they are penalising the Governor. "They were very serious questions raised by the Supreme Court regarding the conduct of Rajkhowa, so I think at least the BJP should come out and let everybody know the reasons why he has been shifted from one governor house to another. I hope it is not for destabilising the government elsewhere," Bhatia said. President Pranab Mukerjee yesterday directed that J.P. Rajkhowa shall cease to hold the office of the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. The President appointed V. Shanmuganathan, Governor of Meghalaya, to discharge the functions of the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, in addition to his own duties, until regular arrangements for the office of the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh are made. The move comes after Rajkhowa said on September 6th that he would not resign despite being asked by the Centre to step down on medical grounds, saying that he wanted the President to dismiss him. "I want the President to dismiss me. I will not resign. Let the President express his displeasure. Let the government use provisions of Article 156 of the Constitution," the Governor told a Guwahati-based TV news channel. On July 13, the Supreme Court had ordered restoration of the Congress government in the state, declared the decision taken by Rajkhowa as "unconstitutional", which first led to imposition of President's rule and then formation of a new government led by a breakaway faction of the Congress. (ANI)