File photo of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi addressing a press conference in Guwahati. (Source: PTI) File photo of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi addressing a press conference in Guwahati. (Source: PTI)

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday continued his campaign against state governor PB Acharya, and shot off a letter to the President, requesting him to immediately replace him because of “making no distinction between his constitutional functioning as Governor of a state and his political and ideological instincts.”

Acharya had also converted the Guwahati Raj Bhavan into an annexe of the BJP office, he alleged.

Gogoi, in his letter to the President also said that the continuance of PB Acharya as an in-charge governor of Assam would cause immense difficulty in the functioning of parliamentary democracy system and create fissures in the secular ethos of the state.

“We had welcomed Shri Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya to our state as we presumed that being a high Constitutional functionary, he would conduct himself fairly, cautiously and circumspectly. However, I am pained to say that ever since assuming office, His Excellency, the Governor of Assam, through his actions, has steadily lowered the prestige of the institution of the Governor,” Gogoi said.

Listing several instances in which governor Acharya had allegedly “steadily lowered the prestige of the institution of the Governor,” chief minister Gogoi said Acharya had made a shocking public statement that “Hindustan is for Hindus” on November 21.

“His statement has created uproar across the nation with almost all sections of society condemning his utterance and the ideology behind it,” Gogoi said. “Such remarks reflect the unacceptably divisive and communal mindset of an incumbent holding a high Constitutional post and such an utterance is in flagrant violation of the secular tenants of the Constitution,” he added.

Citing another instance, Gogoi said that governor Acharya had a few months ago unilaterally altered a panel of six names belonging to the unrepresented communities as nominated members submitted by the Bodoland Territorial Areas and recommended by the Council of Ministers and replaced four of the names with nominees of his own choice. “Aggrieved by this act of His Excellency, the Governor of Assam, the BTC filed a Writ Petition in the Hon’ble Gauhati High Court and the latter kept the notification issued by the State Government in abeyance,” he said.

Gogoi also referred to governor Acharya appointing at least four persons to the Court of Dibrugarh University, “who hardly have any academic distinction other than being office bearers of the RSS or its sister organizations.”

Gogoi alleged that the governor ignored deserving persons from Assam with brilliant educational background and sound social reputation and instead nominated people from other states by virtue of their affiliation with the RSS.

On September 21 on the other hand, the governor was seen advising a delegation of BJP leaders on the BJP’s political strategy “like a senior BJP executive rather than acting like a Constitutional functionary,” Gogoi in his letter to the President said.

“While His Excellency, the Governor of Assam may certainly interact with a delegation of a political party, it is shocking that the high office of Governor has been converted to an annexe of the BJP office,” Gogoi said.

“These incidents have been a big disappointment to me. Throughout my tenure as chief minister of Assam during the past 14 years, I have had the privilege of interacting with outstandingly wise individuals who have enhanced the respect and prestige of the institution of Governor and have functioned not only as the Constitutional head of our state, but also a mentor to the state government. However, I am pained to say that ever since assuming office, His Excellency, the governor of Assam, Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya, through his actions, has steadily lowered the prestige of the institution of the Governor,” Gogoi letter said.

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