NEW DELHI, April 13: Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna, Goa Governor T R Satishchandran, Mizoram Governor Arun Prosad Mukherjee and Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar I K Gupta today resigned from their posts, a day after Home Minister L K Advani announced that governors' appointment during the caretaker government of I K Gujral would be reviewed. An IAS officer of the 1961 batch, Khanna assumed office in January last year. Vijay Kapoor, an IAS officer of the same batch will succeed him.According to sources in the Home Ministry, the warrant of appointment for Kapoor was being prepared and will be notified tomorrow.
Kapoor's appointment is the first in a series of gubernatorial changes likely to be carried out by the BJP-led coalition at the Centre.
Khanna tendered his resignation to the President this evening apparently after getting wind that Kapoor's name as his successor has been cleared.He had become Delhi's Lt Governor, replacing P K Dave, days after he had retired as Union CommerceSecretary.
In Mizoram, Mukherjee, who sent in his resignation to the President, said he resigned as he felt he should not continue in the post after Advani's comments he had seen and heard on television yesterday.
Reacting to the news of the Governor's vacating the post, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalthanhawla described the statement made by Advani at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi yesterday as disrespect to constitutional propriety. Advani had said new Governors would be appointed in the next two days in six states -- Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh -- where the term of the incumbents had already expired. Apart from the review of appointment of Goa and Mizoram Governors, the Home Minister had hinted at change of Governors in one or two states.
Commenting on Mukherjee's resignation, Lalthanwala said it is an irreparable loss to the people of the State. He also said that the Governor was an experienced person who had earlier servedthe people of the country in different capacities and gathered vast experience in the service of the people.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.