Change in Governors must be made with state government's concurrence: CPM

NEW DELHI: CPI(M) today said any change in Governors should be made with the concurrence of the state governments and those holding these gubernatorial positions should not be treated as political appointees.

Maintaining that it was "very unfortunate" that a controversy over the reshuffle of governors has resurfaced, senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said a debate has been going on ever since the Janta Party government, which came to power in 1977 in the aftermath of Emergency, transferred Governors en masse.

"The general view was that since these were constitutional positions, they should not be treated as political appointments, but this principle was never adhered to by whichever party came to power," he told PTI.

CPI(M) has "always maintained that the Governors' posts were unnecessary in a republican India, but since there is no consensus on that, we feel that the choice of a Governor should be made in concurrence with the state government. It should not be done bypassing the states," he said.

Referring to the Janta Party ordering en masse transfer of a large number of Governors who were appointed by Indira Gandhi government, he said, "That time, there was a very widespread debate both in Parliament and outside Parliament, in the judiciary, to arrive at a consensus."

Yechury's comments came as Uttar Pradesh Governor B L Joshi resigned from his post and there were reports of some more Governors, appointed by UPA government, being nudged to quit.