Amid a bitter ongoing face-off, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Friday shot off a letter to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asking him to reply to his queries, failing which he would send a report to the President about “failure of constitutional mechanism” in the State under Article 356 (President’s Rule).
Setting the stage for a major showdown, the Governor also warned of initiating criminal proceedings under Section 124 (assaulting or overawing the President or Governor with intent to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power) under of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
He also said that he has received reports from various agencies regarding rampant drug abuse in Punjab.
In a letter to the CM, the Governor wrote, “I am once again constrained to write to you in connection with my correspondence dated 1st August, 2023. In spite of these letters, you have still not given the information sought by me. It appears that you are deliberately refusing to give the information.”
“I regret to note here that in spite of the clear provisions of Article 167 of the Constitution of India which makes it mandatory for the Chief Minister to furnish all such information relating to the administration of affairs of the State as the Governor may call for, you have failed to supply the information sought by me,” he added.
Pointing out that he has received reports from various agencies regarding rampant availability and abuse of drugs in Punjab, the Governor wrote that in a new trend, drugs are being “sold in government-controlled liquor vends”. He also pointed to Narcotics Control Bureau [NCB] and Chandigarh Police sealing “66 liquor vends in Ludhiana” for selling drugs.
“A recent report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee said that one in five [persons] are exposed or addicted to drugs in Punjab. These facts point out to the breaking down of the law and order system in Punjab so much so that villagers have started protest on the streets in large numbers and decided to set up their own village defence committees to protect themselves from drugs. Please send a report concerning the action taken by you in the matter of these drugs to my office immediately.”
“Before I take final decision regarding sending a report to the President of India under Article 356 about the failure of the constitutional mechanism and take a decision about initiating criminal proceedings under section 124 of the IPC, I ask you to send me the requisite information sought for in my letters referred to above, as also in the matter of the steps taken by you concerning the problem of drugs in the State, failing which I would have no choice but to take action according to law and the Constitution,” he added.
The tiff between the Governor and the Chief Minister surrounding different issues has been on public display for a while now in Punjab.
