Arunachal Pradesh CM Nabam Tuki alleges Governor interfering with state government, legislature

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has accused Governor Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa of "interfering" with the activities of the state government and the Legislature, and asked him to "desist" from taking actions which could create "doubt and suspicion" in people's minds.

The letter, a copy of which was available to the press here, gave credence to the wide speculation in the state that an uneasy relationship existed between the two sides.

The letter, written yesterday, referred to newspaper reports which suggested to the effect that the Governor was unhappy with the democratically-elected government.

"The present situation has caught the attention of the common citizens of the state and the perception is that a parallel government is being run by the Raj Bhavan," Tuki alleged in his letter.

The letter said, "The actions of directly calling commissioners and secretaries of various departments to the Raj Bhavan and asking them to directly report to the Governor has diluted the constitutional provisions, wherein it is required to take any report through the chief minister or the council of ministers."

"It is also a matter of serious concern that the same is being done without even informing the chief secretary," it further alleged.

The governor has started "interfering" with the activities of the Legislative Assembly superseding the office of the Speaker by directly asking the secretary and other officers of the Assembly to report to Raj Bhavan without due knowledge of the speaker, he alleged.

"With all humility, I would like to request you to uphold the dignity of the position of the Governor of the state, which is one of the most respected and coveted positions as provided for by the Constitution of India," Tuki said.

Tuki said the Governor, who is supposed to safeguard the Constitution of India, by his actions is "sidelining" the provisions of the Constitution.

"I request you to desist from all such activities and relieve the people of the state from the doubts and apprehensions."