NEW DELHI, April 19: The underlying message of the recent Governors' reshuffle is more important than the appointments themselves, in it that it illustrate the range of the BJP's compulsions in power.Primarily, an attempt to appease the omniscient RSS has been made via the gubernatorial appointments as is evident in the selection of Suraj Bhan, former Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, who has a RSS background, and Bhai Mahavir, an ex-MP, as Governors to important States like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. One should recall that elections are due in Madhya Pradesh at the year-end, and in UP the Kalyan Singh government is involved in a virtual tight-rope stint.Secondly, the reshuffle underscored the stranglehold on the Government of temperamental allies like the AIADMK and the Shiv Sena. A Padmanabhan, who is to be the Governor of Mizoram in place of A P Mukherji, is reported to be a Jayalalitha nominee. The reappointment of P C Alexander is at the behest of the Sena.The AIADMK and the Shiv Sena arethe only two allies accommodated so far in the Governors' appointments, reaffirming the old adage that whosoever shouts the loudest is rewarded the most. This is particularly true in coalition politics. The Government is inclined to accommodate Farooq Abdullah on the appointment of a Governor in Jammu and Kashmir. The name of former Home Secretary N N Vora, who was also the Principal Secretary to former Prime Minister I K Gujral, figures in Farooq's panel submitted to the Government.But the Army's approval is one of the criteria that will determine the selection of the Governor in the troubled State. Since Vora was also defence secretary at one time, he may fit the bill. The exercise has started afresh after the one time Punjab police chief J F Ribeiro turned down the offer.Then again, the BJP has demonstrated that it plans to continue with its policy of firmness towards the Left. Though the Home Minister deferred the decision on the Governor for West Bengal till he met Jyoti Basu, following thecriticism by the West Bengal Chief Minister that Governors must be appointed after consultation with the Chief Ministers, L K Advani did not relent on his idea to transfer A R Kidwai from Bihar to West Bengal. Basu agreed to the proposition after his meeting with the Home Minister in North Block. Basu, who came roaring like a lion, left purring like a cat. Basu had wanted Raghunath Reddy to continue. Reddy was appointed by Chandra Shekhar but retained by Narasimha Rao, Deve Gowda and I K Gujral.Fourthly, the BJP has shown a flexibility towards its own `Chanakya' Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in the communique that was issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday night. There is no mention of a replacement to Baliram Bhagat, Governor of Rajasthan, whose term has also come to an end, but who Shekhawat wanted retained in the State. He has neither been replaced nor been reappointed like Alexander. It shows that he may be replaced a little later.Since the BJP suffered a setback in the state in the recent Lok Sabhaelections, the Rajasthan Chief Minister has been under attack from the RSS lobby. Though it is not easy to remove Shekhawat a few months before the elections are due, the RSS may like to place one of its own persons as Governor in the state to rein in Shekhawat. But the Chief Minister has managed a reprieve and this also shows that Vajpayee has asserted in his favour in this round.Shekhawat has also managed to get his nominee, Anshuman Singh, a Rajput and a retired High Court judge, to be sent as Governor to Gujarat.The Governors' reshuffle has raised the need for developing new conventions for the appointment of Governors, particularly as governments are now changing frequently with the onset of coalition politics. If Governors change with a change of Government, as is the case in the United States, it would make governors political appointees which has not been the scheme of things envisaged by the Constitution of India. The Governor is a Constitutional authority who is a representative of the CentralGovernment but not of the ruling party. The Governors who have been replaced before their term had come to an end included Krishanpal Singh (Gujarat), Rajendra Kumari Bajpayi (Pondicherry) and Tejinder Khanna (Delhi).The other question thrown up by the recent exercise pertains to the mode of securing the resignations of the Governors. This time, the Home Secretary called up the Governors seeking their resignations. This has come in for criticism, even though B P Singh was acting on behalf of the Home Minister who had the backing of the Union Cabinet. Gujarat Governor Krishanpal Singh publicly took exception to it.In 1977, when the Janata Party government took over, Governors had resigned voluntarily to facilitate a new lot to be installed. In 1989, when V P Singh became prime minister, the then president R Venkatraman wrote to all Governors seeking their resignations, stating that the new government wanted to appoint new ones.
