Chandigarh: BJP veteran Gulab Chand Kataria was sworn in as the governor of Punjab and administrator of Chandigarh here on Wednesday. Punjab and Haryana High Court chief justice Sheel Nagu administered the oath of office to Kataria at a ceremony in Raj Bhavan.
Kataria, 79, who was the Assam governor before his present assignment, replaces Banwarilal Purohit, who remained the governor of Punjab for about three years before tendering his resignation in February this year which was accepted by President Droupadi Murmu on July 27.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatreya, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, former Punjab governor V P Singh Badnore and state ministers including Harpal Cheema and Gurmeet Singh Khudian.
Speaking on the occasion, Kataria said that it was his first day in office and he had got the responsibility of an important state. Stating that he would try to work as a good public servant, he said that he would definitely visit the border areas and all the districts.
An eight-time former MLA, Kataria, who has roots in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), belongs to Udaipur district of Rajasthan, had served as Rajasthan home minister twice, besides being the leader of opposition in the Rajasthan assembly. He also served as education, public works, panchayati raj, rural development and disaster management minister in the Vasundhara Raje government. He was appointed the governor of Assam in February, 2023.
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Welcoming the appointment of the new governor of the state, Kataria, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had on Sunday expressed hope that constitutional rights of both the government and the governor would be safeguarded. "Punjabis are known for their hospitality. We will work together’’, he added.
For record, Purohit and Mann had been at loggerheads over various issues including the summing up of assembly sessions, appointments of vice-chancellors of state-run universities and former's visits to border districts. Stating that he respected Purohit but was also not happy with his visits to the border districts, Mann alleged that Purohit tried to create an atmosphere of conflict.