Lease over

As the PDP withdrew from the coalition in Jammu 038; Kashmir, all eyes were centred on Home Minister Shivraj Patil whose indecision on turning down repeated requests from Lt Gen retd S K Sinha to retain his position as Governor of the state until the Amarnath Yatra, delayed N N Vohra8217;s appointment. It was clear to the Congress that the longer Sinha stayed, the more detrimental it would be because he had far too much personal pride in the Yatra. At one stage, reliable sources said, he conveyed to the Union Home Minister that he could not demit office now as it was his 8220;religious duty8221; to see the Yatra through as he was 8220;assigned by God8221; for the job. While Sinha8217;s predicaments were beyond rational, Patil continued to humour him at the cost of delaying Vohra8217;s taking over despite strong advice from babus and politicians that trouble was brewing. By the time the new Governor took over, matters had gone out of hand. Congress politicians now recall how Sinha, first appointed Governor of Assam by the NDA regime, had ruffled feathers in 1998 by sending a controversial report to the Centre on Bangladeshi migrants in which he had stated that Bangladeshis would demand merger of Assam with their country.