Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit expressed disappointment over Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann giving his ‘At Home party’ on the occasion of Independence Day, a miss.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the governor said invitations for the ceremony were extended to various dignitaries, including the chief minister of Punjab. The Chief Minister’s Office duly acknowledged the receipt of the invitation, he said.
“The chief minister opted not to attend the ‘At Home’ function. His decision is in line with his own discernment. The CM might have decided to forgo the event, perhaps he is afraid of the ceremonial cannons placed outside the Raj Bhawan,” quipped the Governor.
The CM, in his speech in the Punjab Assembly in June, had said canons are installed outside Raj Bhawan to scare people away.
An official said in the ceremonial ‘At-Home’ reception hosted by Purohit, the governor of Punjab and Administrator Union Territory Chandigarh, on the occasion of 77th Independence Day at Punjab Raj Bhavan, the conspicuous absence of CM Mann was noted by one and all.
The reception was, however, attended by Punjab Cabinet Minister Aman Arora, Chief Secretary Anurag Verma, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and DGP Gaurav Yadav.
Ever since the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party Government in Punjab, the CM and the governor have been at loggerheads over a number of contentious issues, with the governor accusing Mann of not replying to his official communication seeking information on administrative matters.
The latest flashpoint was the two-day special Assembly session in June that passed four Bills, one of them divesting the governor of powers to appoint vice-chancellors to state universities. Purohit had termed the session “patently illegal”, saying it violated the Constitutional provisions.