Vakkom Purushothaman resents transfer, resigns as Nagaland Governor

Thiruvananthapuram, July 11: Resenting his transfer from Mizoram "without consulting him", Nagaland Governor Vakkom B Purushothaman today resigned from the post.

The 86-year-old Congress veteran told PTI that he sent his resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee this morning. Though he did not raise any political or procedural issue in his resignation letter, Purushothaman told reporters that governors had been treated in a manner which was "not fair" after the NDA Government assumed power.

"Governors are constitutional authorities. It is grossly improper to transfer them just like any other government official.That is not fair," he said.

Purushothaman, who held key portfolios in the UDF ministries in Kerala and a two-time Congress MP, said, "I feel that the governor's position has been insulted." "The transfer was made without consulting me," he said. He, however, said no one had asked him to resign but he took serious exception to the way some other UPA-era governors were sounded out to step down reportedly by Home Secretary.

"It was a grave mistake. How can a secretary call the governor and ask him to resign?," he said. Purushothaman said he would return to politics as a Congress worker but would not be seeking any electoral positions.

In a reshuffle of governors on July 6, Gujarat Governor Kamala Beniwal was transferred to Mizoram while Purushothaman was transferred and appointed as Governor of Nagaland. He was also given additional charge of the office of Governor of Tripura.

Those who resigned after the NDA government reportedly asked them to put in their papers are B L Joshi (Uttar Pradesh), M K Narayanan (West Bengal), Shekhar Dutt (Chhattisgarh), Ashwani Kumar (Nagaland) and B V Wanchoo (Goa).

PTI