Terming Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit’s threat to recommend the imposition of President’s Rule in the state as an insult to 3.5 crore Punjabis, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday said that Governor’s action show hunger for power resulting from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s desperation to capture power in the state.

Addressing a press conference, the CM said the Governor better knows that he wrote this letter under whose pressure, but this letter has humiliated the Punjabis who had elected their own government more than an year ago with a thumping mandate.

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He said the ‘selected’ Governor does not have any moral right to threaten elected representatives of people and make malicious attempts to topple this democratically elected government.

Mann said he has been consistently responding to the Governor’s correspondence, having already replied to nine out of total 16 letters. He said responses to the remaining letters will be dispatched shortly. However, he expressed concern the Governor is attempting to exert undue pressure on the elected government in an unconstitutional manner.

“I will reply to the Governor’s letters but to threaten the state government with imposition of the President’s rule is unconstitutional. This is happening all over the country in non-BJP ruled states like Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana,” Mann said.

“Wherever the BJP doesn’t come to power, they first try to buy legislators, if they are not in a position to buy, then they seize powers of state by bringing an Ordinance (Delhi). If they don’t succeed with this in states, then they make the Governor write letters,” he added.

The CM alleged non-BJP ruled states are being targeted by the Centre government appointed Governors. “Has the Haryana Governor written such a letter to the CM of the state (Haryana) where communal clashes took place recently ? Has the Governor of Manipur written such a letter? What happened in Uttar Pradesh when people were killed in front of cameras and judges? Nobody (Governors) writes such a letter there (as the BJP is ruling these states),” he said.

The CM said Governors are acting as puppets of the Union Government to create unwanted hindrances in the functioning of non-BJP governments. Mann said the current Union government is attempting to undermine the state’s democratic values through the Governor.

Mann said that his government has passed six bills in the Assembly over the past year and a half, but the Governor has yet to endorse these bills, leaving them pending. Questioning the Governor’s silence on unresolved issues, the CM said Purohit has not written a single letter to the central government addressing the real issues of Punjab.

Mann said the Governor has been questioning the appointments of officers and blocking the recommendations for appointments. “Even the permission for the Budget Session of the Assembly was withdrawn. It shows the hunger of power. You better contest elections in your home state Rajasthan to get power,” he added.

The CM said the law and order situation is intact in the state under his regime. Citing an example of the congenial atmosphere in the state, he said since March 2022, an investment of Rs 50,871 Crore has been recorded in the state and 3,420 projects were approved.

Rejecting the calumnious attacks by the Punjab Governor on the drug situation in the state, Mann said his government has launched a crusade against drugs. He said over 23518 drug smugglers were arrested after registering 17623 FIRs and seizing 1627 kilogram heroin while Rs 13.29 Crore has been recovered from smugglers and properties of 66 drug smugglers have been seized and action is underway to confiscate the rest to make the state drug free.

Referring to the action taken against gangsterism in the state, Mann said so far 753 dreaded gangsters have been arrested and a large quantity of arms and vehicles have been seized.