President Murmu accepts Banwarilal Purohit’s resignation and appoints Gulab Chand Kataria as new Punjab Governor

PTC News Desk: According to a statement released by Rashtrapati Bhawan, Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria was named late on Saturday as the new governor of Punjab and administrator of the Chandigarh Union Territory, succeeding Banwarilal Purohit, whose resignation has been accepted by President Droupadi Murmu. President Murmu appointed seven new governors and reshuffled three of them, including Kataria.

On February 3, Purohit, 83, submitted his resignation, citing personal reasons. He had, however, claimed on March 7 that he had been requested to continue and that his resignation had not been accepted.

Following President Droupadi Murmu’s acceptance of his resignation, Purohit and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have concluded their protracted spat. The conflict began when Purohit traveled to Punjab’s border regions in July 2022 and subsequently made accusations that drugs were being openly marketed throughout the state and had even made their way into schools.

During a news conference on Friday, Purohit discussed in detail his three-day tour to the border districts of Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and Fazilka. He had emphasised that the police force and central agencies now work better together as a result of his visits, which will aid in their attempts to stop the smuggling of guns and drugs from Pakistan. Furthermore, he declared that he would not stop going to the border regions, regardless of how CM Mann felt.

In September 2021, Purohit—who was named Punjab Governor—also revealed that he “may be resigned as I felt that the CM did not want me to stay.” Mann had taken aim at Purohit the day before, stating that the governor ought to start a lecture at a university rather than fostering a “climate of conflict”.

When the administration failed to get the governor to prorogue the budget session in 2023, the dispute between the Punjab chief minister and Raj Bhavan even made it all the way to the Supreme Court. However, the governor declined to sign four significant bills that were passed.

The Governor had informed CM in writing in August of last year that he was thinking about sending a report under Article 356 to the President of India. Article 356 is invoked to place a state under direct Center rule, typically following the Governor’s report.

Purohit had then declared, “I ask you to send me the requisite information sought for under my letters, as well as in the matter of the steps taken by you concerning the problem of drugs in the state, failing which I would have no choice but to take action according to law and the Constitution.” Prior to making a final decision about sending a report to the President of India under Article 356 about the failure of the Constitutional mechanism and making a decision about initiating criminal proceedings under Section 124 of the IPC, Purohit had said. Assault or unlawfully preventing the President or a Governor from carrying out their official responsibilities are covered under Section 124 of the IPC.

When asked if the administration was trying to have the Vidhan Sabha proceedings adjourned on Friday during his news conference, Purohit responded, “Supreme Court ne daant laga di mere ko.” It doesn’t seem possible that this isn’t a jhanjhat.

The 79-year-old Kataria, Purohit’s replacement, is well-known for his straightforward language and tendency to lose control during passionate speeches; this has put him and the BJP in hot water on multiple occasions.

With degrees in MA, B Ed, and LLB, Kataria is a native of Rajasthan and has been active in politics for more than 40 years in Rajasthan. In 1977, Kataria was first elected from Udaipur on a Janata Party platform. On a BJP ticket, he won reelection from Udaipur in 1980. He was elected from Udaipur to the Lok Sabha in 1989, having lost in 1985. Kataria was elected as an MLA once more in 1993, and she would remain so for the following thirty years. He was elected from Badi Sadri on a BJP ticket in 1993 and 1998. He was elected from Udaipur in 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018, all times on a BJP platform.

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