Cong pushes, but Governor in UP not ready to call it a day yet

The state Congress unit has demanded that he step down, but Uttar Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri is not ready to oblige them as yet. H...

The state Congress unit has demanded that he step down, but Uttar Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri is not ready to oblige them as yet. He has stood his ground, saying he will complete his tenure that expires in December.

‘‘The Governor should put in his papers on his own. With the change of guard at the Centre, morality demands that those who got gubernatorial posts during the previous Government’s regime owing to their RSS background should resign,’’ said UP Pradesh Congress Committee president Jagdambika Pal today.

Shastri, however, said, ‘‘There has never been a tradition of Governors resigning after a new government assumes charge at the Centre. The NDA Government never asked the then Governors to resign when it came to power in 1999. I am not going to resign.’’

Sources said among the front-runners for the top post are C.K. Jaffar Sharief and Makhan Lal Fotedar. The UPA Government had earlier reportedly sent a letter to Shastri, suggesting he resign, but he turned it down. BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh had also urged the PM to not drop Governors appointed by the NDA Government.