A comment made by Odisha’s newly appointed Governor Braj Mohan Ram even before he has taken oath has now raised a huge political controversy.
Opposition parties have attacked Odisha governor-designate Braj Mohan Ram over reported remarks that he would work for ensuring the BJP gets as many votes as possible
A video of the governor-designate’s comments have been shared widely on social media. Odisha Congress chief Bhakta Charan Das led the Opposition’s offensive against Ram over his controversial comments. Patnaik, at the same time, also expressed hope that the new governor would respect constitutional values and serve the people of Odisha with impartiality after taking oath. Political analysts have pointed out that discussing the enhancement of votes for a specific political party – even before formally assuming the office of governor – provides the Opposition with an opportunity to question both the government and the role of the governor.
Ram, a Dalit leader from Jharkhand, has said he would strengthen the party organisation among the Scheduled Castes (SC) community in Odisha and also work towards ensuring that the BJP gets as many votes as possible. Opposition parties have questioned him over the remarks that they said placed a huge doubt on the impartiality and constitutional role of the governor’s office. “The constitutional duty of the governor is to impartially uphold the Constitution, not to advance the electoral interests of any political party,” Das said. Patnaik said the people of Odisha can clearly see how eager the Governor-designate is to fulfill his “party obligations.
