CPI MP gives notice to introduce Private Member's Bill in RS for abolishing office of Governor

New Delhi [India], April 20 : Communist Party of India (CPI) MP Binoy Viswam has submitted a notice for introducing a Private Member's Bill in Rajya Sabha for abolishing the office of the Governor.

The move comes in the backdrop of a tussle between Governors and some opposition state governments on various issues including time taken to give assent to legislations.

Binoy Viswam told that he submitted a notice on Thursday for introducing a Private Member's Bill for the abolition of the office of Governor.

"I hope it will come to the House after due procedures. The office of the Governor is a burden. It is ornamental and has no real power. It is time to preserve the rights of the states," he said.

The CPI MP alleged that in states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the office of Governor "has become a camp office of the BJP" and there is an attempt to "impose on the will of the legislature of the state."

He also alleged that the BJP-led government has "no regard" for the diversity of the country and has a "unitary style".

"The Governor not being an elected representative ought not enjoy powers that interfere with the functioning of the democratically elected government of a state, The office of the Governor is a colonial legacy...the Constitution must be amended to preserve the tenets of democracy and federalism that are enshrined in the constitution," CPI MP said.

Binoy Viswam alleged that "encroachment on cooperative federalism" by the office of the Governor has been observed in several states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal and Punjab over the years and "has been intensifying over a range of issues including unnecessary interventions of Governors in the day-to-day administration and deliberate delays in giving assents to the Bills passed by democratically elected state assemblies".

"The office of Governor has been used to topple governments led by parties other the ruling party at the Centre in Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra to name a few. Recently, Tamil Nadu Government was compelled to adopt a resolution urging the Centre to fix a timeframe for Governors to approve Bills passed by the Assembly. The resolution received support from many quarters including from the Government of Kerala. These frequent frictions between the office of the Governor and the state governments highlight the Governor's allegiance to the political party at the Centre rather than to the Constitution of India," the CPI leader said.

He said CPI, in its party Congress held in Vijayawada, passed a resolution urging all democratic-federal forces "to join hands in making our polity truly federal by abolishing the office of Governor".

"The Bill submitted today is one more step in the direction of preserving the democratic and federal ethos of our Constitution," he added.