Arlekar replaces Phagu Chouhan as Bihar Guv
Phagu Chouhan appointed as Meghalaya Governor after serving over three-and-half years in the post
PATNA: Former Goa Speaker and Governor of Himachal Pradesh Jagannath Vishwanath Arlekar will replace Phagu Chouhan as the 30th Governor of Bihar who has been shifted to Meghalaya in the same capacity.
The reshuffle comes after President Draupadi Murmu appointed new governors for various states on Sunday.
Chauhan, who was the sixth consecutive Governor of Bihar from Uttar Pradesh, was appointed on July 19, 2019.
During his over three-and-ahalf-year tenure as the Governor and chancellor of state universities, Chauhan faced several criticisms over the deteriorating health of the universities and corruption charges against vicechancellors (VCs).
However, despite all these, he served one of the longest tenures in Raj Bhawan in recent years.
The reshuffle comes at a time when former Magadh University VC Rajendra Prasad, facing corruption charges, surrendered last week after the Supreme Court turned down his bail plea. He had resigned in May after remaining on medical leave for over six months following raids at his residence in Gorakhpur, UP and in Bodh Gaya. This major instance made several senior NDA leaders, including those from the BJP,, air their grievances against Chouhan openly in a government-Raj Bhawan showdown. However, Chouhan continued to hold the constitutional position.
Last month, chief minister Nitish Kumar also said that he would take up the matter of Magadh University (MU), which has been witnessing frequent students protests due to pending results and exams for up to three years, with the Governor after he was confronted with difficult questions during his Samadhan Yatra.
As the State Vigilance Unit (SVU) tried to step up its investigation into alleged corruption in state universities and started approaching the authorities for documents related to important financial matters, Chouhan had in January last year shot off a strongly worded letter to the state government, accusing it of bypassing the Raj Bhawan and creating an atmosphere of fear on the campuses.
Prior to that, the then education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary and the department officials had skipped a function at the Raj Bhawan to felicitate VCs in a rare instance. Choudhary later said that the state government was no way involved with the institution of awards or selection of awardees. Chouhan’s tenure also witnessed growing ad hocism in the universities, with VCs and key officials holding multiple charges.
Social analyst NK Choudhary said the real power the Governor enjoys is as the chancellor of universities and it is one sphere in which Bihar has witnessed all kinds of problems in the last one decade.
“We hope the new Governor will set things right, though it will be an arduous journey requiring men of integrity to don the key varsity positions and usher in quality governance,” he added.
Meanwhile, Arlekar thanked the central government for giving him a bigger responsibility and said he was happy to work wherever he gets an opportunity in the country.
Asked about his reaction on being appointed governor of the non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled Bihar, where the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-RJD alliance is in power, Arlekar said, “Government is government, it does not make a difference which party it belongs to.”
He said the Centre must have deemed it fit to give him the responsibility of a bigger state like Bihar considering his experience. Arlekar said he is happy to work for the country, wherever he gets an opportunity. “I thank the central government for giving me this opportunity,” he added.
Government is government, it does not make a difference which party it belongs to. I thank the central government for giving me this opportunity
JAGANNATH VISHWANATH ARLEKAR, Former Himachal Governor