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Punjab Governor Verma
resigns New Delhi, October 29 According to informed sources, General S.F. Rodriguez (retd) and Lieut-General B.K.N. Chhibber (retd) are likely to be named Governors of Punjab and J&K respectively. Justice Verma submitted his resignation during a 10-minute meeting with the President this evening at Rashtrapati Bhavan, sources said. His resignation comes in the wake of the UPA government asking some of the NDA-appointed Governors to put in their papers to accommodate its nominees as Governors in some states. Mr Verma is the fourth NDA-appointed Governor to resign in the past couple of days after Mr Madan Lal Khurana of Rajasthan, Mr Rama Jois of Bihar and Mr P. S. Ramamohan Rao of Tamil Nadu. Mr Verma, who took over as Punjab Governor on May 8, 2003, was in the thick of controversy this July when he gave assent to the controversial Punjab Act terminating all its water accords with neighbouring states on the day of the passage of the Bill without referring it to the President. Significantly, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who was in the National Capital, maintained that he was not aware of any move by the Centre to replace the state Governor. The Chief Minister told The Tribune: It is for the Centre to decide on the Governors. Asked about his relations with the Governor, the Chief Minister said: He was a very good Governor. I will be sorry to see him go, he said. Profiles of new
Governors Chandigarh, October 29 General Rodriguez would replace Justice O. P. Verma who submitted his resignation to the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, this evening. He will also become the new Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. General Chhibber is tipped to replace Lieut-Gen S.K. Sinha (retd) as the next Governor of Jammu & Kashmir. General Chhibber, who served as Chief of Army Staff of Western Command before being named as Security Adviser to the Beant Singh-led Congress government in Punjab, also remained Governor of Punjab from September 18, 1994, to November 27, 1999. Only three Governors before him Mr C.M. Trivedi (from August 15,1947, to March 10, 1953), Mr C.P.N. Singh (from March 11,1953, to September 14, 1958) and Mr D.C. Pavate (from October 16, 1967, to May 20, 1973) had five or more years as Governor of Punjab. General Chhibber had been the only Governor of Punjab , who besides Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), also remained Administrator of Chandigarh for more than five years. General Rodriguez will be the 30th Governor of Punjab. Incidentally, he will be the second Chief of Army Staff and the fourth Army General to be the constitutional head the state. A formal notification about his appointment is expected only after the resignation of Justice O.P. Verma is accepted by the President. General O.P. Malhotra was the first retired Chief of Army Staff to be the Governor of Punjab (December 18, 1990, to August 7, 1991). General Rodriguez had also served the Western Command as its Army Commander before his elevation as the Chief of Army Staff. An artillery officer, he remained Chief of Staff from June 30, 1990, to June 30, 1993. |
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