Chandigarh, Jul 25 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday hit out at Governor Banwarilal Purohit over his visits to border areas, saying that he should refrain from creating an “atmosphere of conflict” and instead inaugurate a seminar at a university.
Speaking to reporters in Jalandhar, the chief minister said the governor holds a constitutional post and should fulfil his responsibility “and we will fulfil ours”.
He alleged that this was being done only by governors in states where the BJP is not in power to harass the ruling party.
Purohit is on a visit to border districts of Punjab and holding meetings with villagers and officials of police and central agencies. He visited Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts on Tuesday and Amritsar on Wednesday.
Mann appealed to the governor “to refrain from creating an atmosphere of conflict”, given the constitutional nature of the post.
“He should inaugurate a seminar at a university. It does not mean that he should now go to villages and take out a roadshow in villages,” the chief minister said.
“He took half of my government along,” Mann added, referring to senior officers of civil and police administrations accompanying the governor during his border area visits.
“Why the governors of only those states are doing it where the BJP is not in power? The reason is to cause harassment,” he said.
“Why does the Gujarat governor not write to the chief minister? Why does the Rajasthan governor not visit the border areas? Have you ever seen governors of the BJP-ruled states saying anything?” he said.
Mann said he wanted to maintain good relations with the governor.
“He has a constitutional post and he should fulfil his responsibility and we will fulfil ours,” he said.
On Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi’s remarks that radical preacher and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s detention under the NSA was part of an “undeclared emergency”, Mann said it was Channi’s stand.
“What Charanjit Channi says in Parliament is his stand. Half of the Congress says one thing while the other half says something else.
“But from our side, we are making whatever efforts are needed to maintain law and order in Punjab. I am the custodian of 3.50 crore people of the state and not only a particular MP,” Mann said. PTI CHS SUN DIV DIV
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