Jaipur Lit Fest: Margaret Alva Questions Impartiality of Governors

Former Union Minister Margaret Alva accused the governors and said they are playing a political role in making and unmaking governments, ignoring the advice of the state cabinets.

Jaipur:VeteranCongress leader and former Union minister Margaret Alva on Saturday questioned the role of the Governor adding he is only kowtowing to the whims and fancies of the powers that be.

Alva spoke her mind during the discussion 'We the People: The Center and the States' on the third day of the Jaipur Literature Festival. She further added that the Raj Bhavan in the states is working like a "party office".

Elaborating on the role of the Governor, Alva said that she herself was the Rajasthan Governor for three years. "The whole idea of the role of Governors was to keep the federal system going. Today, there are challenges, there are aberrations, and we see in many states and under many circumstances that the Raj Bhawan is functioning like a party office," Alva said.

"Governors are playing a political role in making and unmaking governments, ignoring the advice of the state cabinets. In fact, in many states, we see a day-to-day battle between the Raj Bhawan and the state government, which I do not believe is the right thing," Alva further added, who has served as the governor of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Goa, and Gujarat. She cited instances from Kerala, Puducherry, and Delhi to explain how governors are allegedly acting as representatives of the Centre and meddling in state policies - that too repeatedly," she added.

Also present on the dais were Naveen Chawla and Pinky Anand. Alva spoke about the consternations in states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala where the ruling parties and the Governors are at loggerheads. "Look at Kerala where the Governor (Arif Mohammed Khan) sat on protest against the incumbent government," she regretted adding similar situations in West Bengal and Puducherry.

Alva also delved into the case in Arunachal Pradesh where the court had to intervene. "If the Governor discharges his duties as a representative of the Central Government and misuses his constitutional post, it will create a dispute between the Centre and the state," she added.

So, according to her, it is imperative on the part of the Governor to work impartially and as a responsible citizen of the country.

Dwelling further Alva said that the post of Governor is a reward, which is given for being loyal to a party and this has been an age-old phenomenon. "I faced it in West Bengal during the rule of the Left and now the BJP toes that line," she added.

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