By Sundeep Pouranik
Raipur, March 12 (IANS) The political face-off between state governments and Governor due to different parties ruling at Centre and in states is nothing new. However, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has been successful in keeping the differences with former Governor Anusuiya Uikey under wraps to much extent.
While Chhattisgarh is ruled by a Congress government, the Centre is led by the BJP government. There were apprehensions that the ties between both Uikey and Baghel won’t be normal, but it did not happen as was generally expected across political circles.
The relation between new Chhattisgarh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan and Baghel is normal as it’s been just one month since Harichandan was appointed the governor.
More than four years have passed since the Bhupesh Baghel-led government came to power in the state and with Assembly elections due later this year, hardly any major confrontation between the Raj Bhavan and the state government has come to the fore.
There was a face-off between the Chief Minister and Raj Bhavan regarding the formation of municipal civic bodies. The reason behind this was the questions raised by the then Governor Uikey regarding the formation of nagar panchayat and municipality while Chief Minister Baghel raised doubts on the appointment of non-locals in state universities.
The two were also at loggerheads over the reservation bill, as the Governor did not sign it, and there was rhetoric from both the sides.
If we look at the relations between the Governor and the Chief Minister in the state, one thing which came to the fore that they were at loggerheads but it never became a political issue. This is the reason that that when Uikey was sent from Chhattisgarh to Manipur as the Governor, Baghel said, “Personally I consider Anusuiya Uikey as my elder sister. I will always be pained that the BJP did not allow her to work according to her capability.”
The Chief Minister even visited the airport in a car to bid farewell to the then Governor Uikey. Till the end, the Chief Minister followed the norms and traditions that are enshrined by the Constitution. Not only this, both the Governor and CM did not violate constitutional norms.
Political analyst Rudra Awasthi says that both the then Governor and the Chief Minister followed the constitutional decorum. This is the reason why there was never any direct confrontation between them despite being certain of several differences related to several political issues significant to the progress of Chhattisgarh.
The Chief Minister’s political acumen and foresight are such that whenever he opposed the decision of the Governor, he gave balanced statements.
With nearly few months left before the state Assembly election, the BJP government at the Centre has appointed a new Governor in the state. It will not be a surprise if there is a clash between the Raj Bhavan and the Chief Minister in the middle of the poll battle, however it is less likely to be the case.
–IANS
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