Punjab Governor & Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit Resigns Due to 'Personal Reasons'

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Saturday resigned from the post citing personal reasons. In his letter to the President of India, Purohit said "Due to my reasons and certain other commitments, I tender my resignation from the post of Governor of Punjab and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh. Please accept the same on oblige." Notably, for the past months, the governor and state CM Bhagwant Mann were engaged in a war of words over different issues.

In August, last year, Banwarilal Purohit sent a strongly worded letter to the CM, warning him that he could recommend President's rule in the state and also initiate criminal proceedings if his letters are not answered. In his latest communication to Mann, Governor Purohit reiterated that he was not getting any reply from him on his previous letters, and warned him that he could send a report to the President on "failure of constitutional mechanism." In his reply, Bhagwant Mann said that the Governor had "threatened the peace-loving people" of the state and that law and order is in complete control.

CM's response on unanswered letters

The Chief Minister said the majority of letters sent by the Governor have been answered. Earlier in October, Banwarilal Purohit wrote a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann regarding Tarn Taran 'illegal' mining incident and sought a detailed report following the same. In the letter, he also mentioned the allegations of an MLA about corruption in the police, the involvement of the MLA's close relative in illegal mining, and suspension of police officials and the subsequent transfer of SSP Tarn Taran.