Governors: Instrument of Politics or Vigilance? - News18

In the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been at loggerheads with Lieutenant Governor V.K. The Governor then was Homi Mody, a distinguished industrialist from Bombay “with a reputation for ability and patriotism without political influence.” Dr. Pant, then, at his peak of political influence, announced the appointment of a minister even without informing the governor, whose prerogative it was to appoint ministers. Though the Constitution has put his role, power and function, on legal basis, people still regard the governor as an ombudsman, a “guardian of the state.” In the aftermath of the All India Trinamool Congress’ victory in assembly elections, heavy political violence had broken out in West Bengal. A section of people actually believed that the governor would soon invoke Article 356 of the Constitution of India to recommend the imposition of President’s rule on the ground that Constitutional machinery had failed in the state completely. Most chief ministers, as Vishnu Sahay tells, “tended to be impatient if a governor read the Constitution too literally.” Governors are likely to be seen as instruments of politics even if they act as instruments of vigilance.