Digital Desk: Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit sought to
"remind" Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of his responsibilities
on Saturday, claiming that his legal advisors were not adequately briefing him
on the matter.
The conflict between the Raj Bhavan and the AAP government
erupted on Friday after the Governor requested a list of legislative items to
be considered in the proposed Assembly session on Tuesday, eliciting a strong
reaction from Mr. Mann, who called it "too much."
Mr. Purohit had previously thwarted the state government's plan
to call a special Assembly session on September 22 to bring a confidence
motion.
"After reading your statements in today's newspapers, it
appears to me that perhaps you are 'too' angry with me," he wrote to the
Chief Minister on Saturday. He went on to say, "I believe your legal
counsel is not adequately briefing you. Perhaps your opinion of me will change
after reading the provisions of Articles 167 and 168 of the Constitution, which
I have quoted for your convenience." While Article 167 defines the duties
of the Chief Minister to the Governor, Article 168 discusses the composition of
the state legislature.
Mr. Mann openly expressed his displeasure with the Governor's demand on Friday, saying his consent before any session of the legislature is merely a formality.
"The consent of the Governor/President before any session of the Legislature is merely a formality. In 75 years, no President or Governor has ever requested a list of Legislative business before calling a session. The BAC (Business Advisory Committee of the House) and the Speaker decide on legislative business "Mr. Mann stated in a tweet.
"The next governor will require that all speeches be approved by him as well. It's excessive "He had stated.
