File pic: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
The Narendra Modi government is encountering dogged resistance from a dozen governors who it wants to replace because they were appointed by its predecessor.
Openly declaring his intent to fight a forced exit, Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan today said he will not contemplate stepping down unless asked by "an appropriate decision-making authority."
The 82-year-old is among a series of governors including Sheila Dikshit who have received phone calls from Home Secretary Anil Goswami soliciting their resignation.
Revealing that he was the recipient of two such calls, Mr Sankaranarayanan said in a statement today, "I didn't reply. The Governor's post is a constitutional post. He is a representative of the President; he is appointed by the President. No responsible person has asked me anything in writing to relieve the post... If an appropriate decision making authority asks me (to quit), I will definitely think over it."
Ms Dikshit was posted as the Governor of Kerala after she led the Congress to a disastrous third place in the December state election in Delhi. Her son, Sandeep Dikshit, asked yesterday, "Who is the Home Secretary to call a Governor?"
Yesterday, Uttar Pradesh Governor BL Joshi resigned after meeting the Prime Minister. Margaret Alva and MK Narayanan, governors of Rajasthan and Bengal, are reportedly among those the new government wants to send on their way. Mr Narayanan said today he has not resigned "yet"; Ms Alva's office said that in a meeting with the PM in Delhi yesterday, she was not asked to quit.
Opposition parties like the Congress and the Samajwadi Party say the BJP is violating a 2010 Supreme Court judgement that a "change in government at the Centre is not a ground for removal of Governors holding office to make way for others favoured by the new government."