Is this a prelude to President’s Rule?
RN Ravi has a reputation as a tough Governor.
Nirendra Dev | New Delhi, 5 March
Is the Centre preparing for President’s Rule? Ravi’s “experience” may be handy to handle a tough state, especially in terms of deployment of central forces and overseeing the police and civil administration.
Ravi had serious issues with Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio as he did not hesitate to pinpoint the ‘extortion’ culture of the state, a fact the regional party led NDA government has always been hesitant to name.
Ravi was also a negotiator for the crucial Naga peace talks and in 2020 and subsequently he claimed that the talk process was over. Ravi, who was shunted down to Tamil Nadu as the Governor, also had serious problems with the DMK and state Chief Minister MK Stalin.
The breaking news came from Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool supremo and the West Bengal Chief Minister.
“Union Home Minister just informed me that Shri RN Ravi is being appointed as Governor of West Bengal. He never consulted with me as per the established convention in this regard,” she tweeted.
In the meantime, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has resigned.
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“I have spent enough time at the Governor’s office,” Bose told news agency PTI after resigning.
“I am shocked and deeply concerned by the sudden news of the resignation of Shri CV Ananda Bose, the Governor of West Bengal. The reasons behind his resignation are not known to me at this moment,” Mamata tweeted.
However, she claimed, “…. given the prevailing circumstances, I would not be surprised if the Governor has been subjected to some pressure from the Union Home Minister to serve certain political interests on the eve of the forthcoming State Assembly elections.”
Mamata also claimed that the appointment of Governor Ravi ‘without consulting’ the chief minister “undermines the spirit of the Constitution of India and strike at the very foundation of our federal structure.”
